New Recruits: Exposure To The Madness
by imaninja41
Summary: The GI Joe program has never seen recruits quite like these! Join a Green Beret, a Navy Diver, and a K9 Unit Security Forces Officer as they try and join GI Joe. Will our resident ninja's catch anyone's eye? Will Storm Shadow ever let Jinx date? Most importantly, will these three recruits be able to deal with the insanity of Cobra when sent out into the field? Scarlett/Snake Eyes
1. Arrival

**First GI Joe story, so let me know if they're OOC.**

 **The OC's in this story are based on me and two of my friends. I am Weaver, Mays is a friend of mine IRL that I met in ROTC, Sheppard is a friend I met over this website.**

* * *

Snake Eyes never liked it when people tried to steal from him. Something he had worked hard for, deserved, being taken away by anyone made him nearly simmer with rage. Even the smallest trinket would bring him to execute immediate vengeful action against the thief.

But right now he was too tired to care that Scarlett was taking the waffles off of his plate. He just reached over to her plate and took her sausage.

"Are you that tired?" She asked.

He could only let his shoulders slump.

Storm Shadow had a glare carved onto his face. "We infiltrated two Cobra Laboratories, in six hours, and we still had to go through morning PT, all because Beachhead decided that we could take it."

Scarlett put a hand on Snake Eyes' shoulder, "Aw, I'm sorry sweetie. Now perk up, we've got new recruits coming in today, and we're the welcome wagon this time."

Snake Eyes signed to her, "Why are we always the welcome wagon?"

Scarlett finished up her/his waffles, "Because I sign us up for it. Now come on, we need to be ready in twenty minutes."

 **IN THE HANGAR:**

A short figure in the blue and white air force PT uniform rushed out of an aircraft, and nearly plunged herself head first into the nearest trashcan.

The figure that followed, wearing the yellow and blue Navy PT uniform shook his head while adjusting his sunglasses so that they rested on top of his camo baseball cap. "Damn it, Weaver, we haven't been here three minutes, ya already makin a scene."

He walked by her, setting her duffle bag down next to her. "And I am _not_ carrying your shit for you."

There was a snort as a third soldier walked calmly out of the aircraft, his own duffle bag slung over his shoulder, "Mays, you're the one yelling to the rafters. She's just trying not to make a mess."

The girl, Weaver, finally pulled her head out of the trash can. "I think I need mouthwash."

From the other side of the hangar, they heard someone shout, "Attention on deck!"

All three of them snapped to attention, seeing a blonde man in army ACU walk towards them as the pilot who flew them out, who had introduced himself as Wild Bill, took his place in front of them. The man walked up to Wild Bill, while looking at the three of them. "Would these be the new recruits?"

Wild Bill nodded, handing three files over to him. "All here, Duke, three greenies, all ready for our… special training."

He turned to the three newcomers, giving them a smile that they all could tell was merely a formality. "Welcome to G. headquarters, which we've lovingly named, the pit. Over the next few weeks, you'll be pushed to complete training and tasks that may seem nearly superhuman to some of you."

The Navy recruit, Mays, smirked, noticing how Duke's eyes rested on Weaver on those last few words. He knew if he looked over at her, he would see her sending a glare that usually made Drill Sergeants do a double take.

"My best advice to you three is if you ever find yourself in a moment of weakness, or even contemplate quitting, think of the people who've doubted you. Let those memories fuel your passion and dedication. Don't ever think you're in this alone, the G. program is one of intense brotherhood and trust. I recommend talking to Scarlett, who you'll meet a bit later if you ever need an open ear." He cleared his throat. "If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to seek me out. Everyone knows where my office is. Before you get settled into your rooms, we'll need you to go pay a visit to our three combat instructors, so we can get a brief estimate of where you stand in your hand to hand skills."

The Army recruit and Mays did look phased, but Weaver raised her hand, "Sir?"

Duke nodded.

"When is our other cargo coming in?" She questioned. "At first we were told we'd be arriving on the same aircraft, but they changed it last minute."

Duke looked over at Wild Bill, who shrugged. He turned back to Weaver, "I wasn't aware. I'll make a few calls, and get back to you before Chow Hall closes. Anything else?"

The Army recruit raised his hand.

Duke opened a file, skimmed the top, and looked back up, "Yes, Sheppard?"

"Should we drop our bags off first?"

Duke shook his head, "No time, just take them with you and set them against the wall, not on the mats. Bill, you mind taking them?"

Wild Bill smiled, "I'd hate to miss seeing the Greenies get broken in."

Duke walked away, and Wild Bill turned back to the greenies. "Alright kids, first rule, don't get annoyed, but everyone here is going to call you kids, or something along those lines. To be honest, you look like you just rolled out of boot camp."

Weaver glared at Wild Bill, "I'm twenty."

Wild Bill nodded, "You really are a kid then. Let's get you kids into the gym."

He started walking, and all Weaver could do was pick up her duffle, still glaring. Mays chuckled, "Don't kill him, chair force."

Sheppard 'accidently' bumped Mays with his duffle, walking past him. "Shut it Mays, G. is a mix of branches. Don't wanna piss off the wrong people."

Weaver huffed, walking right behind Mays, "You wouldn't make those jokes if Kitty was here."

Wild Bill lead them down several halls, pointing out along the way where the Chow Hall, Bunks, Store, where Mail Call happened, until they got to the gym. They put their bags against the wall as Duke had said to do, and surveyed the three other persons in the room. Snake Eyes, clad head to toe in black armor was off putting, especially since the black visor covered his face. Storm shadow was less intimidating, for the sole fact they could see his face. All white ninja robes were still striking the new recruits as odd. They were all relieved to see a normal looking person, Scarlett.

Weaver looked over at Sheppard, "You see guys like this in Haiti?"

"Not even in Haiti." He mumbled.

Scarlett smiled, stepping forward. "Their appearance takes some getting used to. Don't worry, they're on your side."

Storm Shadow snorted, "Until training starts."

Scarlett shot him a glare, then turned back to the three. "Around here, we mostly go by nick names. You can call me Scarlett, the man is all black is Snake Eyes, all white is Storm Shadow. I take it you all have nicknames?"

Sheppard spoke up first, "Priest."

"Hammer Head." Mays looked over at Weaver, smirking. "Go on, tell 'em."

Weaver looked at the ground, and mumbled. "Dream."

Mays, or Hammer Head, chuckled, while Scarlett took a breath, then asked, "Why Dream?"

Priest grinned, the first facial expression he had shown that day. "Dream Weaver!"

Weaver looked back up, glaring over at Priest. "I hate you for that damn name."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, "Have you two worked together before?"

Weaver nodded, "Met over the internet last few years of high school. We stayed in touch after we both went into the military."

Hammer Head spoke up, "She knows me from ROTC."

Scarlett nodded slowly, "Three friends from three different branches? I have to admit, that's a first around here. Usually, the branches don't collaborate much."

Hammer Head slung his arm around Weaver's shoulders. "Yeah, I decided to stoop low, and I talked to the chair force."

Weaver shrugged his arm off, "The second Kitty gets here, you're dinner."

Storm Shadow spoke up, "Do any of you have combat experience?"

Priest nodded, "I was in Haiti for six months. I trained locals there in combat and political ways to deal with 'Ethnic Purging'. We couldn't be directly involved in the fighting, but a lot of us tossed our uniforms off, and got hands on anyways."

Hammer Head said, "I'm a Navy Diver, deep sea welding is my thing, and unless we're counting fending off sharks, I've got none."

"Basic hand to hand, take downs, simple holds, tazers, pepper spray, and pistols. Like all military police." Weaver rattled off.

"We'll just see what you've got with some simple sparring today." Scarlett explained. "Priest, would you like to go first?"

Priest kneeled down, removed his sneakers, and stepped onto the mat. He was expecting Storm Shadow or Snake Eyes to step forward, but Scarlett took a place across the mat from him. He wasn't exactly surprised, he had trained a lot of women in Haiti.

Hammer Head turned to Weaver, whispering, "I've got a milky way that says he hits the mat in under a minute."

"I'm not taking that bet." She whispered back. She could tell from the way Scarlett held herself, she was prepared to fight Priest, by holding back most of what she could do. Even after learning he was a green beret.

Priest lunged forward, making fake grabs for her wrist or shoulder, then went in for a body tackle. Scarlett let herself fall back, pulling her feet up to push against Priest's stomach, then use his forward momentum to propel him into the padded wall ten feet behind her.

Storm Shadow shook his head, "You're too fast for your own good."

Scarlett turned toward the remaining two, "Weaver, would you like to go next?"

Weaver kicked her sneakers off as she stepped onto the mat, and fell into a tight boxing stance. Scarlett mimicked her stance, and Weaver was throwing jabs before Scarlett had her knuckles up to her temples.

Priest walked around them carefully as he went to stand next to Hammer Head again. Hammer Head turned to Priest, "I've got a milky way that says Scarlett loses."

"You're on."

Weaver threw two hooks, right, then left, then tried to spin into a back fist, but Scarlett tackled her to the mat. She held Weaver down, twisting her arm to keep her still. "Turning a hook into a back fist is a move that needs less hesitation. You're losing to much time trying to keep your footwork perfect. Just swing."

Hammer Head handed Priest the candy bar, and as soon as Weaver walked off the mat, Hammer Head walked on. "Go sit down Chair force, it's what you're good at."

Weaver gave Scarlett a look, and Scarlett nodded in response. "Storm Shadow, why don't you take this one?"

The white clad ninja grinned, noting how the girls automatically stuck up for each other, low key. He stepped up to Hammer Head, his arms relaxed at his side. Hammer Head made a fist. But before he could use it, Storm Shadow was standing over him, his boot to his face. "Your stance is adorable. Like watching a baby, trying to walk for the first time."

Weaver gave Scarlett and Storm Shadow an appreciative smile, while Priest tried not to grin. Hammer Head tried to move, but Storm Shadow put more pressure on his head.

The session ended with simple instructions on how to improve the flaws in their fighting styles, and they were sent off towards their bunks. Priest and Hammer Head ended up sharing with each other, in a bunk room with only one bunk. The room also had two small desks on either side of the bunk, and Hammer Head didn't waste any time jumping on the top bunk. Priest just unpacked his things, knowing he'd appreciate the bottom bunk when PT left him so drained he wouldn't have the energy to climb up even a bunk bed ladder.

Weaver was shown to another one bunk room. She could tell from the few items of clothing in the closet and a few things like pencils, files, and a hairbrush scattered here and there that this room had another occupant. But after sniffing around, the stiff blankets on both bunks, the thin layer of dust on everything, and the stale smell in the bathroom connected to the room, the other girl hadn't been here in awhile. She just unpacked her clothing, tossed what little toiletries she had into a drawer, and curled up on the bottom bunk.


	2. Chow Time

Storm Shadow, Scarlett, and Snake Eyes sat together at dinner, as usual. Scarlett was looking over the files of the new comers. "Says here, on his first welding dive, Mays nicked himself on a rusty edge of the pip he was supposed to fix, and five minutes later, a hammer head shark came up. It started attacking the partner he was diving with, and Mays managed to stab it in the nose, and then swim the injured man up to the surface."

She looked up at them, "Here's the kicker, the other man's scuba gear was damaged in the attack, so Mays handed his over, and then swam the him 100 ft up, in one breath. That's how he got his nickname."

Snake Eyes signed to her, "I'm curious about the other one, Priest?"

She started shifting through the other file, "He originally joined to be a Chaplain, but while he was at MEPS, he changed his mind after talking with a veteran, who was working at the building, about combat zones. He changed to special forces. Became a Green Beret, and he actually earned the beret in nine months."

"Is that good?" Storm Shadow asked.

"The average time to earn it is eighteen months." She explained. "In Haiti, his comrades focused on training soldiers, he concerned himself with making sure that children in the area had ways to hide incase fighting broke out. He actually helped chart tunnels through mountains so that they had a quick escape route."

She squinted at the paper. "It says during a village raid, the kids ran into the tunnels, but some of the enemy knew about the tunnels, and collapsed them. It took three days to dig far in enough to save… most of them."

It was silent at the table for a moment. A mental image of Priest, having worked so hard to protect those children, slaving for days to dig them out, and to still lose some of them, hung over them like a thick cloud.

All of them were familiar with the feeling of seeing casualties of war, but it didn't make it easier to shake off.

"And the girl?" Storm Shadow asked.

"She doesn't have that much of a record. A few drug busts, she tracked down three deserters, looks like she tried to specialize herself for tracking down people. It says she's has a lot of practice, over a dozen missions tracking down escaped prisoners, but it doesn't give much detail."

Snakes Eyes signed, "Why not?"

Scarlett held up the page so he could see, "They black it all out. Classified information."

Storm Shadow leaned forward, intrigued. "A lot of these are private missions, requested by senators, or other political officials. And those are just the ones not blacked out."

"Doesn't even say who she was tracking down." Scarlett mumbled. "I might have to do a little digging on this one."

Snake nodded towards their table, "They all seem to get along very well."

Hammer Head was taking sausage from Priest's plate, and Priest was taking the toast and fruit from Hammer Head's. Weaver was picking at her food, seemingly disinterested. Priest seemed to notice, and reached across the table, giving her hand a squeeze. Weaver just shrugged back, mumbling that she was fine.

Duke walked in, and Scarlett expected him to walk over to their table, and he went straight to Weaver. "I called about your cargo shipment, the aircraft they're on will be here in five days, maximum. They got a last minute call out to perform a supply drop."

Weaver didn't look relieved. "So, our stuff is just… on the aircraft? They didn't drop it off with anyone, it's just there on the plane while they complete the mission?"

"I don't know." Duke admitted. "They didn't say."

Weaver nodded slowly, just looking more stressed. "Thank you."

Duke walked away, probably back to his office, while Hammer Head rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Weaver just nodded.

Priest, mumbling around an apple, "We start real PT tomorrow. I've heard a lot of things about the drill sergeant they have here."

Hammer Head snorted, "Everyone's heard of him. It can't be as bad as they say. I bet they lie about it to intimidate people before they even have the option to join."

Weaver took a quick survey of everyone in the chow hall, "I don't know, everyone here is really built. Even the girls."

Hammer Head perked up, "There's girls here?"

Weaver nodded towards a far table, two females sat there. Hammer Head grinned, "I like the options… oh my god."

Hammer Head squinted at one of the girls, "I think I know her. Is she… she is! She's on the cover of a ton of my magazines! I have a center fold of her!"

Weaver shook her head, "I guess she's pretty, but models aren't soldiers."

Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes were nearly hurting with laughter as Hammer Head swore up and down that he had seen that girl stretched out across a car hood before. Scarlett, seeing Beach Head walk in, quickly got up and sat down next to Weaver, "Listen, two things. One, you're right about Cover Girl, she used to be a model."

Hammer Head beamed, "I knew it! I wonder if she'll sign my centerfold?"

"Two, don't try anything with her. Her boyfriend is the Drill Sergeant here."

Weaver almost choked in laughter, While Priest settled for giving Hammer Head a pitying look.

Beach Head took a seat next to Cover Girl, and, almost as if he knew what had happened, sent a glare over to their table.

Hammer Head looked at Cover Girl, blushed, and looked at his plate. Weaver smirked, "Giving up on your dream girl that quickly?"

Hammer Head glared at her, "I'm not afraid to contend with any man. But Drill Sergeants are not men. They're demons, sent straight out of hell. Fear of them isn't fear, it's logic."

Priest nodded, "I heard he includes a mud pit in every PT course."

Scarlett smiled, "Just about."

Weaver smiled, "Kitty will love that."

Hammer Head spoke up, "There's not really a 75% drop out rate, right?"

Scarlett chuckled, "It's probably more around 80%. The PT here is very demanding. Don't expect anything less than hell." She turned to Weaver, "How's your room?"

Weaver shrugged, actually managing to eat some of her food. "It looks like my bunk mate isn't in much."

Scarlett nodded, "You're right, I haven't used my room in awhile. Snake Eyes has a private room, so I moved in with him awhile ago."

Hammer Head raised an eyebrow, "You and the ninja?"

She nodded.

He sighed, "What about that other girl?"

"Lady Jaye is in a long term relationship with Flint." Scarlett got up, moving back towards her table. "You'd be better off trying online dating."

Weaver smirked, "Looks like I'm the only one with a chance of getting action here, boys."

Hammer Head smirked right back, "Not a chance, Weaver. You know I swing both ways, same as you."

Priest shook his head, "I'll pray for both of you tonight."

Hammer Head snorted, "Pray for whatever unlucky bastard Weaver tries to force into her bed."

"YOU, are an asshole casserole!" Weaver snapped. "Besides, I'm more concerned about PT tomorrow."

Hammer Head finished up his meal, "PT is easy to get through, you just have to ignore the pain."

"Not everyone can do that." Weaver mumbled.

Hammer Head shrugged, "I guess the chair force doesn't teach you that."

Priest groaned, and Weaver promptly got up and walked off. "Don't kill the squid. Don't kill the squid."

Priest gave Hammer Head a look. "You've only got about five more days until you can't piss her off anymore."

"I'll enjoy every moment I have left."


	3. Time For PT

Waking up at five in the morning wasn't difficult. They had mastered that in basic.

Managing to be semi-groomed, in PT clothes, out in the early morning sun, with enough energy to not complain, was also something they all did automatically.

They simply weren't prepared for what they saw.

First, there seemed to be a bare patch of dirt, for a sprint maybe. That gave away to a stretch of wooden poles sticking out of the ground, they started at an inch, but slowly grew until they were nearly ten feet. The last few poles ended in a diagonal rope slide, but there didn't seem to be a grip. After the rope, it looked like another bare stretch, then a barbed wire crawl. Then a rope wall, then a rope climb that was about twenty feet high. A few small hills for maybe two hundred feet finished it off.

But their attention wasn't on that. It was on the Drill Sergeant who had them lined up in front of it. He seemed to be glaring at Hammer Head the most. However, Priest was the first he addressed. "This isn't a combat zone in Africa."

Then Beachhead turned to Hammer Head, "This isn't a swimming pool."

He barely looked at Weaver. "This isn't an air force cubical."

He crossed his arms, "This is the G. training course. All of the soldiers on this base can pass this course in three minutes or less."

Hammer Head and Weaver had both run a course similar to this in their ROTC classes, but their times had been nowhere close to three minutes, and the course was nowhere near as long or complex as this.

"Our normal PT usually takes about two hours." Beachhead continued, "Today, you three will be out here for three, at the least."

Weaver cursed under her breath. After basic had finished, the longest PT she had ever done was two and a half hours. And she had almost puked that day.

Beach Head turned to Hammer Head, "Now, you. Get those shitty sunglasses off your face, and let the sun blind you like a real fucking man."

Hammer Head dropped his sunglasses.

Beach Head turned to Weaver, bending down so they were eye to eye. With her being five foot two inches, it was a considerable slump. "You. Air Force. I don't like slackers."

Weaver glared right back, a facial expression that had made her Drill Sergeant in basic take a step away from her. "Then you won't have any problems with me."

He grunted, straightened, and crossed his arms. "Then you won't mind running it first? MOVE YOUR ASS!"

Weaver rushed like a bolt past the start, the sprint taking nothing out of her. She stepped cautiously on the first wooden pole, then the next, then the next.

"PICK IT UP MAGGOT!"

Weaver was on a six foot pole, trying not to look down as the wind started blowing. She just kept stepping, slowly, trying not to fall. She managed to get to an eight foot pole, wobbling.

"Bend your knees!" Priest yelled out.

Weaver bent her knees, and managed to get to the nine foot pole. When she tried for the ten foot, the breeze picked up, and it was all she could do to fall far enough to grab the rope with her hands, then swing her knees up to shimmy down it.

Beach Head didn't like that. "IF YOU PULL THAT SHIT IN THE FIELD, YOU DIE! PAPPER PUSHER!"

She hit the ground running, but before she was halfway across the bare stretch, she went under. Hammer Head blinked a few times, "What the hell?"

Weaver suddenly came back into view, practically swimming through a very deep patch of mud they hadn't seen.

Beach Head roared, "IF YOU CAN'T TOUCH THE BOTTOM, TRY USING THAT EMPTY HEAD OF YOURS TO FLOAT TO THE OTHER SIDE!"

Priest grimaced, looking down at the green crew neck shirt and camouflaged cargo pants that they had been issued. "Looks like today is laundry day."

Hammer head started laughing, "OH my god… she can't touch the bottom!"

Weaver proved to be a stronger swimmer than Beach Head expected, managing to make it to solid ground and wipe the mud out of her eyes. She flopped down, crawling under the barbed wire. In basic, girls got their buns and pony tails caught in the wires all the time, which is why she had opted for a crew cut right before basic. While it kept her from getting tangled, it confused enough people that she would get yelled at if she headed into the female bathroom.

The rope wall was something she had done a lot, so she knew to stick close to the edge, so it wouldn't sway back and forth as much. After she half climbed/half fell down the other side, she paused at the single rope dangling in front of her, glaring in disgust as she tried to jump as high as she could. The minute she had a grip, she wrapped her ankles in the end, and started inching her way up.

"I COULD GET A FUCKING WORM TO CLIMB THAT FASTER THAN YOU."

"Don't… Kill… The… Ranger…" Weaver grunted as she struggled up to the top, slapped the wood, and slipped down, nearly breaking her ass when she hit the ground. She took off into the small hills, and briefly wondered why they would be part of the course… until she felt a sting on her forearm.

Blue paint dripped down her wrist.

"SHIT!" She ran faster, opting for a zig zag pattern as she heard more paint balls whizzing by. "I HATE SNIPERS!"

"That's not offensive." Priest mumbled.

Hammer Head laughed, "Calling you a sniper is like calling her average height, it just doesn't add up."

Beach Head finally turned around, "SMART ASS, YOU CAN TAKE THE COURSE NEXT!"

Hammer Head nodded.

Weaver managed to dash through the rest of the hills, getting back to the start, before collapsing, gasping for breath. Beach Head looked her over, "Just one hit?"

She nodded, holding up her arm to show him, as Hammer Head took the course.

He stepped slowly over the poles, slide down the rope like it was nothing, and slid across the surface of the mud patched, managing to not go completely under.

Weaver growled, "I hate him. I hate him so much."

Priest snorted, "You're gonna really hate me."

Hammer Head managed to get through the rest without much effort, until he got to the hills. The Snipers had stepped up their game, and Hammer Head had to jump, duck, weave, and even slide to the finish line. He jumped up, showing only one paint splatter, on his knee.

Beach Head got up in his face, "WIPE THAT SMILE OFF YOU FACE! YOU CALL GETTING SHOT IN THE ANKLE A WIN?!"

Beach Head turned around to Priest, "Let's see what you've got, preacher."

Priest rolled his eyes, and then he was off like lightning. As Beach Head was making Hammer Head and Weaver do pushups on their knuckles, Priest had managed to weave his way around the mud, finding places to step that only got his boots dirty. He flew through the rest, not a single sniper hit him. Weaver just groaned, cursing into the dirt as Beach Head demanded another fifty.

Priest joined them, pumping them out without having to be told.

After the pushups, there was a four mile run. Then more push ups.

Then Beach Head made them pick him up and carry him half a mile. Weaver had the carrying the easiest, as her arms were much shorter than the boys, and all she had to do was hold her arms up to look like she was actually doing something. Hammer Head must have caught on, because he started stepping on her boots until she finally stood on tip toe to help.

The entire time Beach Head was snarling and spitting, yelling about their performance. They could see a few figured off by the base, walking them PT. Priest figured they were sizing up the new comers, seeing if they'd enjoy working with any of them.

When Beach Head finally let them set him down, he ordered them back to the obstacle course, to run it together as a team.

Priest nudged Hammer Head, nodding to the small crowd. Hammer Head grunted, "If they want a show, I can give them a show."

Weaver glanced back as well, and nodded slowly. "I'm not into being judged from afar. Let's fuck this obstacle course up."

They posed up at the starting line, and took off once Beach Head yelled to go. Priest ran behind Hammer Head and Weaver, steadying them easily on the pole if they ever swayed. Hammer Head took off down the rope first, then grabbed Weaver when she fell. They both reached up to catch Priest as he fell.

Priest set the pace for the mud pit, keeping them from falling under.

Weaver was the first done with the rope wall, halfway up the rope climb before Hammer Head and Priest were waiting. She dropped down, Priest catching her as Hammer Head shot up the rope, hand over hand. When he dropped, Priest and Weaver caught him, then Priest was up and down before they could blink. They hit the hills, scattering each and every way, Weaver started flipping around to gain attention if Hammer Head or Priest had to slow down. Halfway through, a sniper managed to shoot Priest in the back. Hammer Head and Weaver each grabbed one of his arms, dragging him as fast as they could to the finish line.

Beach Head stared at them as Weaver looked up at him, gasping out, "What was… our time?"

Beach Head cut out the words, sweet and short. "Two minutes, twenty-seven seconds. Injured team mate adds thirty seconds on, so you passed by three seconds."

Hammer Head pulled Weaver into a head lock, "Ya hear that chair force? First try!"

Beach Head yelled, "ATTENTION!"

All three of them snapped up. "Dismissed."

They turned, walking off towards the base. Hammer Head pcked his glasses up off the ground, grumbling about the glass getting dirty.

Weaver sighed, "That was three hours?"

Priest shook his head, "That was three hours an twenty three minutes."

Hammer Head raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, and you seemed a bit off your game, Weaver."

"I don't know what you mean."

"You usually run a lot faster than you did today."

She shrugged, "I run faster when Kitty is with me. Motivation always helps."

Priest put a hand on her shoulder as they headed off towards the chow hall. "The cargo shipment will be here within five days."

Weaver just nodded.


	4. Kitty Arrives

It had been three days since they had arrived on base, and the PT was the hardest they had ever done. Even Priest struggled to meet the standards. While Priest and Weaver worried their asses off about it, Hammer Head was a much more relaxed guy.

Priest took extra training with Snake Eyes, quickly making it into advanced combat classes. He wasn't just learning how to fight anymore, Snake Eyes started teaching him how to walk quieter. How to step down toe first and slowly roll your weight onto your heel. Priest learned new pressure holds and Snake Eyes drilled him with physical training that had him improving faster than ever.

Hammer Head preferred working on his own. He went to the gym two hours a day, at least. He had claimed a small corner of the gym as his own, always going to that particular spot for his bench presses and weight lifting. He saw results quickly, like he always did. He would sometimes chat with Road Block, or Tunnel Rat if they were around. Road Block was always down for doing reps, and Tunnel Rat's sense of humor appealed to Hammer Head.

Weaver was obviously making more time to run and do basic cardio on her own time. She was obviously making more effort than Priest or Hammer Head with the amount of time she spent in the gym. But instead of progressing, she was declining. Her times on the PT course kept getting worse. She found it harder to concentrate in training, whether with Beach Head or by herself. On top of that, she was hardly eating.

Priest pointed that out to Hammer Head one day, as they did their normal routine of Hammer Head taking Priest's meat, and Priest taking Hammer Head's vegetables and fruit.

Weaver was just staring at her food, sometimes moving it around on her plate. Priest elbowed Hammer Head, and nodded towards Weaver. Hammer Head raised an eyebrow, "Weaver? Are you planning on failing?"

"Hmm?" When she looked up, they began to understand how serious it was. She had bags under her eyes, and she looked paler than she ever had.

"You're not eating your dinner." Hammer Head pointed out. "I only saw you eat half a bread stick and a bottle of water for lunch."

"She didn't eat anything for breakfast." Priest pointed out.

Weaver pushed her tray away from herself, shaking her head. "I just haven't had much of an appetite lately."

"I've seen you eat two XXL steak Burritos from Taco Bell." Hammer Head argued. "And drank half of a sangria slushy. And that was _before_ you joined the military, and your appetite doubled. So, sorry to say, but I'm not buying that bullshit."

"We get that you're worried." Priest assured her, "Hell, we are too. But if you starve yourself, you're going to get sent home before Kitty gets here."

Hammer Head nodded, "You've just gotta suck it up and do what you have to do to make sure you pass our tests. We only have two weeks here before they decide to keep us or cut us."

Weaver nodded slowly, but didn't eat.

A few tables over, Tunnel Rat nudged Scarlett. "Hey, what's up with the new girl? She looks kind of… I don't know if there's any nice way for me to say that she looks like she's been dead for about two days."

Scarlett shrugged. "We're used to it by now, but to be honest, G. is a very grueling program. The PT takes a lot out of you, but that's only half the story. Once you start learning about Cobra, you realize how many times the world has nearly fallen to that tyrant. You look through the files of any of the bigger names in Cobra, like Baroness, Zartan, Destro, or even Mind Bender; it's enough to give you second thoughts about your chances around here. I wouldn't be surprised if the stress is getting to her. By the looks of it, she'll be the first to quit."

Tunnel Rat shrugged, "To bad. She seemed kind of cool. And none of us would mind having some more girls around here."

Scarlett shot him a look, to which he just shrugged, "Hey, can't blame a guy for wishing. The only girls around here are already taken. Making a move on any of them is suicide considering who their boyfriends are."

Beach Head, passing by, clapped a hand down on Tunnel Rat's shoulder. "I know I'm not listening to you contemplate breaking frat regs."

"No sir, you're not." Tunnel Rat said quickly.

Once Beach Head walked away, Tunnel Rat grunted. "He's the biggest hypocrite I've ever met. Just last month I saw him and Cover Girl getting way to hands on in the Motor Pool."

Scarlett stuck her fingers in her ears, "I'm not listening to this."

"Especially when General Hawk couldn't care less about frat regs! He knows about you and Snake eyes, Cover Girl and Beach Head, and Lady Jaye and Flint, do you think he loses any damn sleep over the thought of any of you hooking up?"

Scarlett grabbed her tray, and moved to sit with Lady Jaye, Flint, and Wild Bill.

 **THE NEXT DAY**

Beach Head was standing at the bottom of the rope climb, glaring up at the girl halfway up. The green beret and the navy diver had already finished their run two minutes ago, and she was still stuck on the rope climb.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

She tried to get up higher, but she just kept slipping back to the halfway point on the rope.

"HOW THE HELL ARE YOUR TEAM MATES GOING TO TRUST YOU IN THE FIELD WHEN YOU CAN'T MAKE IT UP A GOD DAMN ROPE?!"

Weaver grunted, trying to lock her feet together, but she kept slipping.

"I TOLD YOU, I DON'T LIKE SLACKERS! YOU TOLD ME I WASN'T GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOU!"

Weaver lost her grip, and hit the ground hard. She felt the air get knocked out of her, and she rolled over, gasping.

"ALL YOU'VE GIVEN ME TODAY IS PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM!" Beach Head reached down, grabbing her by the collar, and hoisting her up. "AND WHAT'S THIS I HEAR ABOUT YOU NOT EATING!? ARE YOU TRYING TO FAIL!?"

Hammer Head moved to run at Beach Head, but Priest grabbed his arm, "Don't. It won't do anything but get her into more trouble."

"He's not supposed to man handle any of us." Hammer Head growled.

Weaver snapped, pulling free of Beach Head's grip and whirling on him, "Leave me the fuck alone!"

Everything stopped.

Hammer Head nearly fell over, but Priest held him up. Others around the track that had been using the time to train froze. Scarlett, Ace, Wild Bill, Snake Eyes, Tunnel Rat, Road Block, and even Storm Shadow all snapped around to look.

Beach Head opened his mouth, but Weaver beat him to the punch. "IF YOU SO MUCH AS MUTTER 'CHAIR FORCE' I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE."

Beach Head started turning various shades of red as he slowly bent down to be eye level with the girl. "Try. That. One. More. Time."

Weaver squared her shoulders and opened her mouth to shout, but her head suddenly snapped to the left, eyes locked onto something on the horizon.

Everyone else glanced over as well, seeing an approaching aircraft. Weaver squinted, her eyes training in to take in every detail.

Beach Head growled, "I SAID, TRY THAT AGAIN, CHAIR FORCE!"

Weaver didn't seem to hear, she took off like a bat out of hell, dashing past Beach Head, and everyone else. She was headed right for the hangar.

She didn't even hear Beach Head screaming at her to come back to the course.

Scarlett looked over at Hammer Head and Priest, "Is she trying to get killed!? No one leaves PT until Beach Head dismisses them!"

Hammer Head shrugged nervously as he and Priest took off after Weaver, "She's just excited, Kitty is finally here!"

Scarlett cupped her hands around her mouth, screaming over Beach Head's threats to the boys. "I HOPE KITTY IS WORTH DYING FOR!"

Snake Eyes tapped her shoulder, then signed, "Why is this Kitty girl on a cargo shipment?"

Scarlett shrugged as Beach Head took off after the three newbies. "I think we've been dismissed… so maybe we go check it out?"

 **IN THE HANGAR:**

Weaver slipped around people, even darting between a man's legs and jumping over Cover Girl, who was buried halfway under a Jeep, growling about oil levels. She skidded to a stop at the just arriving cargo shipment, then turned to a man directing it on how to back into the hangar, "Get that door open!"

He paused, looking at the urgency in her face, then nodded. He made a few signals with his oversized glow sticks, and it came to an abrupt halt. The door started sliding down slowly, but rather than wait for it to fold down Weaver dashed for it, grabbing the edge and hauling herself in.

The minute she hit the floor inside, starting two men who were inside, she screamed out, "KITTY!"

She waited a few seconds, "KITTY!"

Silence. She whirled around, grabbing one of the men by their shirts. "You, four days ago this aircraft departed from New York, carrying cargo for three new Joe recruits."

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, it's that way." He pointed to the right side of the aircraft.

She was off again, pushing Priest's and Hammer Head's boxes out of the way, fumbling until she found the carrier.

 **OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT:**

Beach Head stomped right up to the aircraft, murder in his eyes as he waited for the door to fully open. Hammer Head and Priest had arrived before him, but stood off to the side, waiting, wondering whose funeral they would have to attend.

The second the door was extended as far as it would go, Beach Head moved up to march in, but Weaver practically threw herself out of the aircraft, wildly pointing back where she had rushed from. "We need a medic!"

Beach Head paused, the panic on her features taking him back. Hammer Head and Priest started walking towards her slowly. Weaver slammed her fist into the side of the aircraft, "WE NEED A MEDIC. SOLDIER DOWN. SOLDIER DOWN."

She disappeared back into the cramped space of the cargo shelves.

Beach Head turned back towards the crowd that had gathered, "YOU HEARD HER, GET THE DAMN MEDICS IN HERE!"

Scarlett turned and sprinted down the hallways, followed by Snake Eyes. Beach Head walked into the aircraft, following the sound of Weaver's voice.

"Just keep breathing. You're going to make it, alright? Kitty, I promise, I didn't know this was going to happen."

He rounded the corner, fully expecting to see some girl bleeding or passed out, but what he saw was a torn apart Kennel, and the biggest German Sheppard he had ever seen, head in Weaver's lap, panting. Weaver had her finger in his mouth, pressed against his gums.

She looked up at Beach Head, "He's dehydrated. He had half a day's worth of water in his kennel at the air port before we left… but a dog can only go about three days without water."

Beach Head nodded slowly, "It was four days."

Weaver looked around at the cramped space of the airship, "Will they be able to get a gurney in here?"

"Not yet." Beach Head grabbed the shelf, picking it up, grunting, and pushing it three feet to the side. "Now we should be good."

Weaver's eyes widened, "That must be like… two hundered pounds."

Beach Head shrugged, "Felt more like one seventy-five."

Hammer Head and Priest came in, but stayed two rows away, not wanting to be in the way when the gurney came in. Hammer Head piped up, "Is Kitty alive?"

"Barely."

Beach Head looked down at Weaver, "You named him… Kitty?"

"I thought it would be funny." Weaver shrugged. "I yell out 'Kitty!' and while you're thinking of a cat or some shit, a big ass German Sheppard runs straight at you."

Three medics came in, hauling a gurney. They looked a bit taken back by the dog, but Beach Head's glare didn't let them hesitate.

Within five minutes, he was in the medical wing, an IV placed in his right front leg by an uncertain doctor. The doctor admitted, "I've never done this with a dog. We don't have a vet here."

Weaver just nodded, "Please just… please save him."

The doctor nodded, "I'll do the best I can. You said he had enough water for half a day?"

"The flight was only six hours long." Weaver explained. "But then it turned into four days."

The doctor nodded, "He certainly fits the bill for dehydration. Gums are dry, tongue dry, and from what I can feel through all this fur, his veins are so thin… took me three tries to get a needle in without blowing a vein. I think the IV will work, from what I can hear inside, nothing has shut down yet. But like I said, I'm not a vet, I don't know what a dogs heart beat is supposed to sound like."

Weaver just nodded.

"This is a temporary fix, at best, I'd be comfortable taking care of him for a few more hours." He continued. "He needs a vet, and Hawk is the only one who could authorize shipping one in."

"And of course I will."

Beach Head snapped to attention but General Hawk waved him off before he could say 'Attention on Deck'. He walked straight for the operating table, gently placing a hand on the dog's head. "We almost lost a soldier today."

He turned toward Weaver. "And the fault lies somewhere in our communication over your arrival here. I have no file for this-"

"Kitty."

He looked confused.

"The dog's name is Kitty, General." Weaver explained.

Hawk slowly nodded, "Alright then. You can expect a vet here within twenty-four hours. You can also expect an extensive written apology once I find where the fault in the chain of command lies."

Weaver just nodded, eyes never leaving Kitty as General Hawk left the room. Several seconds past, before Weaver allowed her gaze to move on to Beach Head. "Sir, I'd like to apologize for my behavior, not only this morning, but over the past few days. It's wasn't fitting of any soldier, let alone on aspiring to join the fine program that GI Joe is."

Beach Head snorted, "Yep, you're an air force alright, pulling an entire speech out of your ass."

When Weaver glared at him, he smirked, "Don't get pissy with me, kid. I can't blame you for worrying yourself sick over a fellow soldier that you knew was in danger. My only question is, why didn't you speak up about it?"

Weaver reach forward, massaging behind Kitty's ears. "I thought that Duke knew. He said he looked into the cargo shipment, I just figured that he knew. Kitty hasn't always been thought of as a priority when it comes to transport, and this certainly isn't the first time he's had to fly separate from me because of someone's error in planning for him."

Priest stuck his head in the door, "Weaver, sorry to interrupt your ranting, but some guy named Road Block wants to know what's okay to cook for your dog."

"No chocolate, no grapes, no whole grains." Weaver took a seat next to the bed. "But he won't be eating tonight."

Priest nodded, "And I take it you won't be leaving this room?"

"Not until Kitty does."


	5. The Vet Is In

Hammer Head and Priest both waited for Weaver at the PT course the next morning, but Beach Head didn't seem to care that she didn't show up. He ran them both, just as hard as ever. He never even mentioned Weaver. After PT, and the boys had showered, they still didn't see her in the chow hall.

Hammer Head looked around, "Do you think Kitty died or something? She's not one to miss two meals in a row."

Priest shook his head, "If Kitty was dead this base would have been burned to the ground."

"We could risk our lives and pay a visit." Hammer head suggested. "I mean, not to generalize women, but they tend to want to be left alone when they're in pain or mourning."

"I don't classify Weaver as a woman."

"Me either, let's go."

IN THE MEDICAL WING

Weaver was silent as the vet who had been flown in, Dr. Nezi, worked over Kitty. She was so preoccupied with the dog, it was almost like she completely forgot about everyone and everything else. Like how Weaver recognized her.

"So uh… yeah, we went to high school together." Weaver mumbled. "You used to try to talk to me about joining the army."

She looked up, blinking, "Oh… oh yes, I do remember. Glad to see that you've finally got your dog. That's all you used to talk about."

"Yep… how is he doing?"

"Your dog…?"

"Kitty."

Dr. Nezi raised an eyebrow, "Kitty?"

"It's supposed to be funny."

"I see, well, Kitty is doing very well. He's absorbed nearly all the nutrients of the IV, his vitals look good, everything inside seems to be working well. I'd keep him in here until tomorrow, after that, he can go back to your bunk. I'd say wait two more days before having him PT with you, but you've known your dog longer than I have. If you think he can do it, let him try." She finished, placing a hand on Kitty's head. "But for today, this guy needs to be as lazy as possible."

"When can he start eating?" Weaver asked.

"Today would be great." Dr. Nezi said, scratching behind his ear. "Getting him to ingest something, and then have it run its course would let us know if his digestive system is functioning properly."

"Well, you're in luck!" Dr. Nezi and Weaver both looked up, seeing Hammer Head and Priest. A brown paper bag was in Hammer Head's hand. "Roadblock sent Kitty something special!"

He tossed the bag to Weaver, who peeked inside to see a Tupperware container with three pork chops and broccoli. On the side of the bag was a note from Roadblock, 'I have no idea what to feed a dog. Someone better help me. I am not going to be the only one in this damn base who feeds this dog.'

Weaver set the container in front of Kitty. After one sniff, that container was licked clean. Dr. Nezi chuckled, shaking her head. "He seems fine."

Weaver smirked, petting his head as he sat up and licked her face. "You hear that boy? We're gonna be okay."

THE NEXT DAY

Kitty's digestive system was fine, so were his heart, and his appetite. Everyone saw it as very entertaining to see Kitty stand in line for grub behind Weaver, holding his bowl in his mouth, as polite as he could be. Roadblock nearly killed him when he tried to come into the kitchen to ask for seconds. Instead he ended up giving him a belly rub.

Weaver had her hands full keeping the energetic dog from breaking anything. Usually he was calm enough to keep inside, but once he was hydrated, he was trotting all around the cafeteria, sniffing everyone, trying to make friends.

Snake Eyes loved Kitty. It was the weirdest thing to see Kitty trot over to his table, sit down, bark once, and immediately get whatever treat Snake Eyes could find on his plate. Scarlett would often just shake her head, and Storm Shadow would glare if the dog came to close to him. Storm Shadow must be a cat person.

Most people around the base loved Kitty, having been a long time since they had the chance to interact with a dog. When passing in the halls, nearly everyone stopped to say hello to Weaver (Kitty) and ask if they could pet her 'Four-Legged-Patriot'. Kitty was happy to get any affection from anyone, as long as Weaver was there, and awake.

After a particularly grueling PT session, Weaver had passed out on the couch in the rec room, and Kitty had promptly fallen into attention next to her, guarding her as she slept. Tunnel Rat had found it adorable, and had attempted to walk over to Kitty and pet him. Kitty had made it VERY clear that Tunnel Rat was not allowed to come anywhere near him, or Weaver.

The barking (and Tunnel Rat's scream of terror at the snarling death machine the adorable dog had suddenly turned into) had woken Weaver up, and she had immediately called Kitty off, petting him to calm him down. She then glared up at Tunnel Rat, and said, "You're a special kind of stupid, aren't ya?"

Tunnel Rat stayed far away from Kitty after that, and Weaver, knowing her dog well, saw the wickedly amused grin in Kitty's eyes every time Tunnel Rat was in sight.

Kitty was a bit of an asshole.

Hammer Head was happy to see the dog back, but now he couldn't pick on Weaver. That usually ended with Kitty tackling him. It was just for show, Kitty had learned that Hammer Head was family, and tackling him was only acceptable if it ended with licking, not biting. It didn't help that Weaver had trained Kitty to tackle Hammer Head if he said 'Chair Force' or 'Paper Pusher'. It was a sad day for Hammer Head when the dog had first pinned him to the floor, not letting him up, but just slobbering on his face. And everyone watched, laughed, and took pictures.

Priest had always been a bit nervous around Kitty, mostly because he had seen people get ripped to shreds by dogs, in a country that he was officially never in, on a mission that never officially existed. He had explained that to Weaver, and she had kept Kitty ten feet away from him for a month until he was finally comfortable with the dog.

If there was one person on base who was obsessed with Kitty, it was Weaver. Scarlett noted that the dog never left Weaver's side for more than five minutes, and began to quickly understand why Weaver had nearly starved herself when her dog wasn't with her. Having gone into the room she still technically occupied to retrieve a hairbrush, discovered that not only did Kitty and Weaver sleep in the same bed, but Kitty insisted on Weaver occupying the side of the bed closest to the wall, and he kept on paw on her chest, and his head nestled in her neck.

Scarlett was sold on the idea of a German Sheppard nanny if she ever had a kid.

After two days, Weaver brought Kitty out to the pt course. Beach Head took one look at that dog, then leaned down so he and Weaver were eye to eye. "If that dog starts slacking like you, I will send him to this amazing little Chinese buffet I love eating at, back in Alabama, and they'll send me back a big ole plate of Teriyaki Sheppard."

"Sir, all due respect, this dog will eat you before you lay a finger on him." Weaver said, slowly, her hand resting on Kitty's head as he sized up Beach Head. "Right now, he's wondering if you're the kind that runs, the kind that drops to the ground, or the kind that actually tries to fight back."

Kitty took ne long sniff at Beach Head, and then sat down.

Priest snickered. Beach Head whirled on him, "What's so funny?"

Priest couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "He just alerted on you."

Hammer Head grinned from ear to ear. "He's telling Weaver that you smell like you've got something illegal on you."

Weaver shook her head, "I know you don't have anything on you. Kitty just thinks you're an asshole."

Beach Head snorted. "Well then, you and Kitty can fall out, and run six miles for your PT today."

Weaver grinned, saluted, and shouted, "Sir, Yes, Sir!"

Her and Kitty took off towards the track, and Beach Head turned back to the boys. "You two, get the paint ball guns. I've got a Welcome Back Party planned for Weaver."

Hammer Head grimaced. "That dog is going to kill us."'

"Would you rather piss me off?" Beach Head asked.

"Point taken." Hammer Head went to grab a paint ball gun.


	6. Take The Dog For A Walk

Weaver was used to letting Kitty take the lead. She had trained herself to always note Kitty's body language and tone. Over the years, they had become nearly the same person with how well they knew each other.

So when Kitty slowed down from a run to a trot when they had barely run two miles, and perked his ears up, she was concerned. She slowed down as well, mumbling, "Something ain't right."

Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Kitty let out a bark, and took off towards the tree line. Weaver was right behind him, both falling into a zig zag pattern. Before she could wonder what about a pt course would spook Kitty into bolting, she saw the ground slightly to her right get coated in orange.

"God damn that paint ball gun loving Drill Sergeant! He's always got to make this shit difficult." Weaver cursed as both she and Kitty jumped behind a rock.

She got low, creeping to the edge of the rock to peek out. She could just about make out Hammer Head's camo baseball hat and sunglasses, propped up to Priest's nearly invisible form. Something about how he laid down always made him easy to look over. The months he had spent in Haiti, crouching in grass and rubble had taught him how to blend in. The terrain was a tough teacher.

Mays wasn't as much of a silent sniper. "Five bucks says I can put one right in her nose."

"Shut up." Priest mumbled.

"I have green paint balls… it would look like a huge booger." He laughed.

"Shut up, and smoke that air man out." Beach Head snapped. "If you can't shoot her from here, go in after her."

Hammer Head leapt up, tucking in his paint ball gun as he rushed for the tree line. Priest followed him, cursing under his breath. "I always get stuck with the fucking squid. Sure, he's capable, but he's such an asshole. At least Weaver is quiet."

Weaver Heard the paint balls stop, and saw Hammer Head start rushing over. "Kitty. You remember when we had to track down those five deserters, in Guam?"

Kitty growled.

"Yeah, this is gonna be about as difficult. Stay."

Kitty licked Weaver's cheek, and then shifted his position to fight mode. Weaver dashed towards a tree, scaling it, while Kitty stayed behind the rock. The minute Hammer Head broke through the tree line, he was under her tree. Weaver let go of her branch, falling on top of him. While he was trying to breath, Weaver took his gun. "One down."

"Weaver?"

"Hmm?"

"You're a bitch." Hammer Head's leg shot up, kicking the gun out of her arms. She stumbled back and he tackled her, trying to pin her arms. Before he could, she punched him in the stomach, and when he bent over in pain, she managed to flip him. She was on top of him, but his legs were wrapped around her waist. 

She knew there was no getting out of that hold. Navy Divers had the strongest damn legs in the navy. There was no chance she could break it.

"Chair Force." Weaver whispered.

Kitty rushed out from behind the rock, pushing Hammer Head further into the ground as he coated his face in licks and slobber. Hammer Head got to preoccupied with the dog, and Weaver managed to slip out, and scoop up the paintball gun, panting.

"Kitty, guard." Kitty stopped licking, falling into attention, eyes trained on Hammer Head.

"If you move, Kitty will eat you."

"Damn it Weaver." Hammer Head snarled. "Not fair for you to have a hundred pound killer on your side."

"It's not fair to sick a diver and a green beret on one military police officer!" Weaver snapped. "No such thing as a fair fight. Welcome to the real world."

"Priest is gonna kill you."

"I know." Weaver mumbled. "Problem is, he isn't here yet, and I have a hostage."

Hammer Head grunted. "This is embarrassing."

Weaver rolled her eyes, turning around the scout the area as she paced the tree line. "And of course I can't find him… that hell did he disappear?"

Kitty let out a warning bark, but Weaver was to late. She heard something snap, the suddeny she was scooped up into the air by a net, swinging from a tree. She let out a scream, trying to untangle herself.

On the ground, Priest held up his paintball gun, and shoot her through the net. "You lose."

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TIME TO SET THIS UP!?"

"I work well under pressure."

Weaver got dragged back to Beach Head, inside the net by Hammer Head and Priest. Kitter happily trotted behind her, head held high.

"Stop dragging me over rocks! This shit hurts."

Beach Head gave Weaver a look. She shut up.

"Mission successful?"

"Target captured without incident." Hammer Head reported.

"Don't lie." Weaver snapped.

"There was an incident." Priest explained. "Hammer Head got captured by Weaver."

"For ten seconds!"

Beach Head growled, "Scuba Boy, you can give me fifty knuckle pushups. The rest of you are dismissed!"

Priest helped Weaver out of the net, and she grinned. "I hear Roadblock is making fried fish!"

Priest smiled. "Does Kitty like fish?"

"Very funny."


	7. Hammer Head's First Mission

Breakfast the next day started off as any other. Priest stood with a slight slouch, looking longingly at the coffee pot at the end of the room. Until he got at least three cups in, he would resemble a corpse more than a man. Hammer Head was far too bright eyed and bushy tailed before breakfast. He had been that way even before boot camp. It always annoyed the hell out of Weaver, who took mornings to be for peace and quiet. That had gotten beaten out of her very early in boot camp. Kitty stood behind her, bowl in his mouth. Whenever the line moved forward, he'd nudge her, impatient for his bowl to be filled.

Roadblock had gotten quickly educated on what was appropriate to feed dogs by Weaver. Back in A school she had volunteered a lot of her time in the kennels, and had quickly memorized what food made dogs perform at their best. You couldn't just feed them meat and expect them to stay healthy and fit. What the dogs got fed was very similar to what the soldiers got fed, but just the raw ingredients, no herbs or spices got mixed in for flavor.

Roadblock had figured it was simple enough, and he never even had to make Kitty a separate meal. He would just set aside a bowl of whatever he had made for the soldiers that night before he added in any spices. Kitty didn't seem to mind eating the same thing as everyone else. It's what he was used to.

Breakfast for Kitty proved more challenging for Roadblock, as the pancakes, waffles, toast, or biscuits that normally served as the main course, were not acceptable or Kitty. That was the only meal where he had to improvise, usually chopping up sausage and adding it to premade broth for Kitty.

As the four sat down at their usual table (one far from the kitchens, but very close to the exit), Hammer Head finally spoke. "General Tomahawk was up late last night, locked in his office with Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Lady Jaye."

"I take it that means something to you." Priest said, taking the applesauce and peach slices from Hammer Head's plate, while letting Hammer Head take his bacon.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when a General is up all night with the company of a Master Sergeant from intelligence, a Staff Sergeant from counter intelligence, and two ninjas, shit is about to go down." Hammer Head defended, gobbling down his bacon.

"Whatever it is, we might not be involved." Priest said, mostly just trying to dampen Hammer Head's mood. "We haven't even officially joined G.I. Joe. Our final tests are next week."

Weaver groaned, pulling out a binder she had been toting around for the past two days. "Our agenda for today… memorizing more of cobra's history."

She opened it up to a page she had tabbed, skimmed over the page, then let herself fall face first into the paper. "This is too much like high school."

"The size of the text books are more like college." Priest countered.

"If I wanted to go to college, do you think I would have joined the military!?" Weaver bit out. Kitty, having licked his bowl clean, put his front paws up on the table, whimpering into Weaver's ear. Weaver sat up, worried instantly. "What's wrong?"

Kitty seized the opportunity, locking his jaws around the binder, and running off with it.

Weaver shot up, "Hey! No! Drop it! Bad boy!"

"You can't yell at a superior officer, Weaver!" Hammer Head teased as she tried to snatch the binder back, only succeeding in landing on her face.

Tunnel Rat, overhearing the commotion, raised an eyebrow, "Her dog outranks her?"

Wild Bill shrugged, "Wouldn't surprise me. Air Force girl is kind of a loony."

Tunnel Rat pointed his fork at Wild Bill, smirking, "She's a girl. We'll take what we can get around here."

Weaver had Kitty backed up into a corner, a frown on her face. "Give. Me. My. Binder. Mommy has to study, and if 'the dog ate it' didn't work in high school, it's not working in the military!"

Kitty lunged between Weaver's legs to avoid her arms, making her spin, stumble, and then fall. Before she hit the ground, Storm Shadow turned around in his seat, extending his arms. As she landed in them, he pulled her closer, smirking. "I thought it would take more than that… to get you to fall for me."

Weaver's eyes widened a bit, shocked at how close he was to her, until she processed his words. She snorted, covering her mouth to try and stop laughing. Scarlett, sitting across the table from him, busted out laughing as Snake Eyes shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Weaver stood up, wiping her eyes, "That was smooth as fuck."

Storm Shadow leaned back, raising an eyebrow as Weaver walked back over to her table. "Well, that's what I'm trying to do."

Scarlett gave him a look, "Seriously?"

Storm Shadow shrugged, "She's attractive."

Over the speakers, General Tomahawk's voice sounded loud and clear. "Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Road Block, Beach Head, and Hammer Head, report to the motor pool."

Hammer Head punched the air as he stood up, his sunglasses falling in place. "Looks like I get the first mission boys."

Weaver glared at him as he retreated, opening her now drool covered binder back up. "If he dies, do we still have to study, or do we get time to mourn."

Priest gave her a look, "Time to mourn isn't given if they know all you're going to do is call dibs on his things."

Weaver rolled her eyes, "I just want his radio."

 **WITH HAMMER HEAD:**

General Tomahawk stood facing them all in the motor pool, eyes looking uncertainly at Hammer Head. "As some of you know, our Intel tells us that Cobra has three submarines in the Atlantic. Until last night, we didn't know what they were doing down there."

He handed each of them a file, and Hammer Head leisurely flipped through his. "Our sources have managed to piece together that they're drilling for something underneath the surface. They've determined it's not oil, but at this point, they haven't given up any other leads on it."

Hammer Head spoke up. "It's not a liquid."

General Tomahawk glanced at him, then at Scarlett, showing his obvious annoyance. Scarlett turned to Hammer Head, "How do you know?"

"I've worked with more pipe in my life than I care to recall. The pipe they're using is too thick to be rationally used for a liquid. When you drill for solids, you use thicker pipe so the shards and particulates don't tear holes in it. Unless of course, you're just trying to get through the earth's crust. But you can see around the edging of the pipe they're using now, the hole is about three inches wider than the pipe itself. They've already drilled through the crust." Hammer Head snapped his file closed, locking eyes with General Tomahawk. "Whatever they're going down there for, it's got to be deep."

The General gave him a nod, "We don't need to do anything to high profile on this one. We go down, quietly take out the submarines, and destroy the pipes. In the process, we need to get a sample of whatever they have managed to obtain from the drilling. If we don't find out what they were after, this mission had no point."

 **TWO HOURS LATER, IN THE REC ROOM**

Weaver slumped down on the couch, glaring at her binder. "Seriously, this guy has a shit focus group. These are some of the dumbest names for trooper classifications I have ever seen."

Priest frowned, "I haven't gotten to that section, is it that bad?"

Weaver held up the list.

 **Air Devil** \- Acrobatic Aerial Assault Trooper

 **B.A.T.s** \- Cobra Battle Android Troopers

 **Cobra Blackstar** \- Cobra Elite Space Pilot

 **Cobra C.L.A.W.S.** \- Combat Light Armored Weapons Specialist; Heavy Weapons Trooper

 **Cobra Coils** \- High Speed Pursuit Vehicle Drivers; Cobra Tread Fire Driver

 **Cobra Eels** \- Cobra Frogman

 **Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver** \- Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver

 **Cobra Moray** \- Underwater Elite Trooper

 **Cobra Officer** \- Cobra Squad Leader

 **Cobra Stinger Driver** \- Cobra Stinger Driver

 **Cobra Soldier** \- Cobra Basic Infantry

 **Desert Scorpion** \- Cobra Desert Trooper

 **Incinerators** \- Cobra Flamethrowers

 **Lampreys** \- Cobra Moray Hydrofoil Pilot

 **Night Creepers** \- Cobra Mercenary Ninjas

 **Night Vulture** \- Cobra Air Recon Trooper

 **Sea Slugs** \- Cobra Sea Ray Pilot

 **Snow Serpent** \- Cobra Polar Assault

 **W.O.R.M.S.** \- Weapons Ordnance Rugged Machine Specialists; Cobra Maggot Driver

Priest grimaced. "That's aweful."

Weaver rolled her eyes, "This would be reason number five of 'Why I Do Not Work For Cobra'. The list is still growing."

"There's reasons other than they're the bad guys?"

"Reason number one, their leader wears a helmet that makes his head look like a dildo." Weaver snapped.

Priest sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

"Number two, their head scientist, Dr. Mindbender, walks around in purple tights, no shirt, but a red cape."

 **WITH HAMMER HEAD**

He finished strapping up his scuba gear, dangling over the edge of the helicopter they were supposed to jump out of. The submarines were only 50 feet down. The area of the piped he needed to sabotage were 120 feet down. It was pushing the limits, a bit too much. He wasn't comfortable at all, doing this mission, with a target depth only ten feet above what a human could stand. But he knew that this mission was his defining moment with the Joes. This mission either made or broke his career.

He nodded to Beach Head, "I'm ready. Once I cause enough damage to the pipes, they'll send out their own divers to check it out. That's your opportunity to get inside a ship. If you see a shark, don't run. It'll probably leave you alone."

Beach Head nodded, "And if it doesn't, that's with the flare guns are for. You don't need to baby us, kid. This isn't our first rodeo."

He snorted, "It's your first underwater one."

With that, he gave a little nod, and calmly fell out of the helicopter, head first into the water.

 **WITH PRIEST**

Priest calmly rubbed his temples as Weaver protested on about Cobra. "Number three, the only known female member of this organization is a professional seductress! Can we just focus on how fucking convenient that is for Mr. Cobra Commander?"

"I am not going to let you infect my mind with any images of Cobra Commander and Baroness coupling." Priest said firmly.

"Number four, the real guy Baroness is shagging is Destro!"

Priest clamped his hands over his own ears.

 **WITH HAMMER HEAD**

The pressure of deep sea diving was something he had gotten used to a long time ago. It didn't bother him so much anymore. It got difficult to breath, but the panicking shaky breaths he used to take in A-school had developed into long, calm breaths. It was the cold he never quite got used to. That deep sea kind of cold that always made his bones creak and his teeth ache. The cold that was so intense it made him nearly forget what being warm was like.

He checked his dive watch as he got closer to the pipe, seeing it read 97 feet. He grabbed the pipe, and reached for the handsaw. He smirked up at the submarines he could just barely make out. They were going to have a bad day very soon.

He couldn't see the forms of Beach Head, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, or Roadblock, but he knew they must be in position around the submarines, waiting for their chance.

 **ON THE SUBMARINES**

A cobra moray frowned at the screens in front of him, beckoning the only officer on any of the submarines over to him. "Sir, valve seven isn't pumping anymore."

The officer nodded, "Send out two divers, have them check to see if we have a break."

The second the divers left the submarines, they were quickly apprehended by Road Block and Snake Eyes. Scarlett put her hand over the door they had exited from, finding they hadn't had a chance to close it. They made their way into the submarine as the room the door lead into drained of the sea water.

Hammer Head heard three beeps in a row from his com link, telling him that the Joes had gained access into a sub, and taken control.

He peered into the severed valve, squinting to try and see if there were any loose materials left in. A faint shimmer, about two feet deep into the pipe caught his eye. Reaching in, he managed to grab it, and gently pull it out.

It was a shock at first, mostly because the rock he pulled out was incredibly hot. They had drilled incredibly deep to get whatever this was. Another odd thing about the rock was this is was bright pink. When he twisted his wrist from side to side, what little light there was down there reflected off of it in a mesmerizing way. It didn't look quite like a crystal, but he could hardy refer to it as a rock.

What's so important about this?

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and the rock to the bottom of his diving bag as her swam for the submarine. One sub was under the control of the Joes, but there were still two more to go.

* * *

 **I'd like to thank everyone whose read the story so far, it means a lot that someone took the time to read this.**

 **Reviews are welcome!**


	8. Ninja Princess

"Number fourteen-"

Before Weaver could continue, Priest slapped a hand over her mouth, and pulled her close to him, locking eyes with her. "If you don't shut up… not even Kitty could save you."

Weaver's eyes shot over to Kitty's sleeping form… and a grunt of annoyance left her mouth, before she nodded. Priest removed his hand from Weaver's mouth. Kitty rolled over in his sleep.

Weaver looked back towards her binder, sighing. "We still have to memorize and verbally describe all of them."

"Do they have ridiculous names too?"

"Honestly, the most ridiculous one is called H.I.S.S."

Priest sighed, "This doesn't make any sense. These guys are supposed to be really smart. The Joes have almost lost to them, a lot. Why are they so ridiculous about their names?"

Weaver paused, "Wait… what if… Oh shit. Storm Shadow used to be part of Cobra."

"Yeah, he's upfront about that. They used some weird mind control." Priest said, pointing to the paragraph in his binder that spoke of the incident. "He's on our side now."

"In Storm Shadow's report, he said Destro had a lot of really good ideas, but Cobra Commander's ego usually got in the way to heading his advice… What if Destro tries to get back at him by telling him these are good names?" Weaver gestured wildly to her binder, "OH GOD! THIS IS AWEFUL!"

Priest rolled his eyes, "It's not that big of a revelation."

"No, this shit is making me think of reasons and theories. I haven't had to think this much since English 4 honors." Weaver grimaced. "God damn Beowulf."

Priest rolled his eyes, "Alright, so we have to memorize all of these?"

"All of the Cobra ranks and how to tell them apart, all of the Cobra vehicles and how to tell them apart, and we have to be able to list a good bit of the history between the Joes and Cobra." Weaver sighed. "By tomorrow afternoon."

Priest reached over, gently grasping Weaver's hand. "How low of a score are we allowed to get?"

Weaver flipped back to the first page, "The syllabus says the lowest we can get and still pass is an 87%."

Priest groaned, rolling over so he was laying across Weaver's lap. "If I was capable of this kind of brain power, I wouldn't have gone into the Green Beret career field. I'd be in intelligence. Away from the bullets."

"Do you think I'd be sniffing out bombs, drugs, and deserters if I was?"

Hammer Head popped up from behind the couch, rolling over to be sprawled on top of Priest. "That's okay guys, I'll be the smart one."

"You two are crushing me." Weaver grunted out.

"Excuse me?"

All three of them looked to the left, seeing a very pretty Asian girl in red leather standing in the doorway. She had long black hair tied up in a high pony tail, and warm brown eyes. Strapped to her back were two katanas, and the pouches along her waistline no doubt carried more weapons.

They immediately pegged her for another ninja, but while Priest and Weaver decided to approach with caution… Hammer Head took a different approach.

He shot right up off the couch, mouth agape, staring at her like she was the messiah.

"Do you three know where Storm Shadow is? I was supposed to meet him twenty minutes ago, but he wasn't in the hangar." Seeing as Hammer Head was the only one standing, and staring right at her, she had locked eyes with him, expecting him to answer. He stayed silent, as if she hadn't said anything.

Priest and Weaver glanced at each other, a silent conversation passing between the two.

' _Should we save him_?' Priest raised an eyebrow.

' _No_.' Weaver smirked.

Jinx cleared her throat, "If you don't know, could you refer me to someone who does?"

Hammer Head seemed to snap out of it, blinking excessively, clearing his throat as well. "Um, wait, what?"

She frowned, confused. "I am looking for Storm Shadow. Can you help me?"

Hammer Head broke out into a grin, one that Weaver recognized. It was the one he had worn in every picture with his high school girlfriends and boyfriends. When his mom hugged him, or his little brother would do something that nearly mimicked his younger self. A smile that she had seen him display only when he was around people who generally made him happy, just by existing. "Sure can! I know where he bunks; he's probably there, since it's nearly one in the morning."

She smiled politely, her eyes still showing some hints of confusing at his odd behavior. "Thank you very much, sir."

Hammer Head extended his hand to her, winking. "You can call me Mays, darlin', or Hammer Head, if you feel like it."

Priest narrowed his eyes, ' _Is he seriously doing this_?'

Weaver shrugged, ' _He's done worse_.'

"And you can call her Jinx." Storm Shadow rounded the corner, a slight glare on his features. "How kind of you to offer my younger cousin your assistance. I think I shall assist her from here on."

Weaver quickly grabbed the couch cushion next to her, sinking her teeth in it to keep from laughing. Priest put a hand over his mouth, his face turning red as his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Storm Shadow slung an arm over Jinx's shoulders, leading her off. Jinx turned back to Hammer Head, smiling. "It was nice meeting you."

As the two walked away, Hammer Head's gaze traveled down, watching Jinx walk away far to intensely. Storm Shadow's head whipped around to catch Hammer Head in the act, glaring at him before making a very threatening motion, keeping eye contact as one hand gripped the handle of his katana.

Hammer Head quickly retreated back into the rec room, turning to see Weaver panting while biting the pillow, and Priest shaking from painful laughter, both faces extremely red.

He raised an eyebrow, "What the Hell?"

Weaver dropped her pillow, bursting out in the loudest, gut busting laughter her tiny frame was capable of. Priest let his hands drop, laughing nearly as loud as Weaver. Hammer Head chucked a binder at them, "You two are unbelievable! My first chance at actually dating around here, and neither of you help me-"

"Risk our lives by tackling a ninja king?" Priest chuckled, holding his sides as the painful laughing continued.

"And help you hook up with the ninja princess!?" Weaver choked out, falling onto the floor as Kitty woke up from the noise, growling.

Priest took a few deep breaths, looking up at Hammer Head, calmly stating, "When Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow torture you, do you think Jinx will nurse you back to health, and teach you the ninja ways, and then you'll have little ninja warriors together? Because that's a really bad kung fu movie. Do you want that to be your life? A bad kung fu movie?"

Weaver lost it, grabbing onto Kitty and burying herself in Kitty's fur. Kitty put a paw on top of her head, whining.

Hammer Head threw another binder at Priest, then grabbed his own binder. "Screw you guys! I hope you fail the test tomorrow!"

Weaver called after him, "Then you can be alone with your ninja princess!"

"IF YOU DON'T FAIL THE TEST, I'M KILLING YOU!"


	9. High School Never Ends

**This right here, this is pure evil.**

Weaver, Priest, and Hammer Head didn't bother lining up for breakfast. They had gone right to their table, broke out their binders and began an odd combination of studying and panicking. Weaver's eyes were wide as she scanned the page over and over. They could read the words but understanding them and remembering them were a different matter entirely. Hammer Head read at a steady pace for about five minutes, before flopping down on top of his binder, groaning. Priest simply stared at one page, trying to get his brain to actually read the words.

Scarlett gave their table a pitying look as Kitty took bacon from Snake Eyes. "I didn't have to go through that when I was going through training here. Back then, Cobra wasn't as big as it is now. Not half as much to study."

Snake Eyes signed, "I wouldn't want to do that. Seems tedious."

Storm Shadow grunted, "I didn't join until a few months ago. I had to take that test. But I had worked for Cobra for years, so I already knew all of it."

Jinx looked up at them over her binder, frowning, "This is very complex. They've only had two weeks to study, I've had four."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"I stole this book earlier to give myself an advantage."

Scarlett frowned, "That's unfair to the others."

Storm Shadow smirked, "She used a tactical advantage to be better prepared. I can think of no better way to prove that she's Joe material."

Kitty approached Jinx slowly, sniffing out the new person. She gave him a questioning look, and then returned to reading. Kitty figured she wasn't going to be any fun, so he returned to lying underneath Weaver's chair.

Weaver let out a sigh, closing her binder. "If I don't pass, and I don't make Joe, at least I'll be able to say that it was because of a written test, and not because I couldn't cope with that PT."

Hammer Head nodded, closing his as well. "If we have to go down, at least it's over bullshit, and not anything that matters."

They looked over at Priest, to see him curled up under the table, hugging Kitty while mumbling into his fur. Weaver stuck her head down closer, and managed to make out, "This is high school bullshit. I'm a grown man damn it. I dominate PT. I swear to God if they cut me over this shit I'm burning their hanger to the ground. I wanna go to combat practice."

Weaver rolled her eyes, "Yeah, don't make arson threats out loud, you'll have to go talk to mental health."

Hammer Head perked up, "Talk to who?"

"You know, mental health."

"What the hell is that?"

"It's the people they make you talk to if they think you're about to crack. They make sure you aren't crazy, and it's still safe for you to have a gun." Weaver explained.

"You mean a fucking therapist?" Hammer Head asked, eyes narrowing.

"Pretty much, we just call them a different name."

"Chair Force is a weird ass place."

As soon as he got the sentence out, Kitty shot up and tackled him out of his chair, licking at his face like it was covered in peanut butter.

Hammer Head sputtered in fury while Weaver smirked. "Kitty, fuss." (heel)

Kitty walked away from Hammer Head, sitting down right next to Weaver. He was immediately showered with affection as Weaver nuzzled her face into his neck. "So ist brav!" (Good/praise)

Scarlett, who had made her way over to their table cleared her throat, "So the rumor about using German commands is true?"

Weaver nodded, "Couldn't be truer. Don't have to worry about the guy I'm sicking him on shouting commands and confusing him. Or some idiot deciding that shouting typical dog commands at my dog would be fun."

"That happens?" Lady Jaye asked, joining Scarlett by standing next to their table.

"I brought him home on vacation once, left him in my car with the ac on and the windows down at a gas station. Some little punk thought it would be funny to try and get him to attack a homeless guy sitting outside the store. I heard the commotion, of the kid getting a bit to close and Kitty telling him _exactly_ what he thought about that." Weaver smirked. "Kid nearly shit himself."

Scarlett chuckled. "Well, with our morning pleasantries out of the way, I'd say it's time for your test."

Lady Jaye nodded, "You all will come with me, and I'll be supervising the testing."

Priest picked himself up off the floor, sighing. Hammer Head clapped a hand on his shoulder, "It's ok man, we can do it. Maybe. We'll see how it goes."

Kitty rubbed against Weaver's leg as they followed Lady Jaye. "Oh, I'm alright, boy. Just about to take a test that makes or breaks my career."

Hammer Head perked up immediately when he saw that Jink was coming with them. "You're taking the test?"

She nodded, "I have collaborated with the Joes many ties, but Hawk would like me to be able to contribute more regularly."

He couldn't hide his grin, "Well, if it means you're around more, I'm definitely a fan of the idea."

Lady Jaye led them into a very small, plain room. The only furniture in the room was one big desk with a comfortable looking rolling chair, and six small desks connected to blue plastic chairs that were all too familiar. Weaver sank down in the one closest to the wall, groaning. "This is punishment for something."

Jinx raised an eyebrow, "I don't understand."

Hammer Head grunted, "These are desks meant for high school students. At least in A School, we had a nicer set up. Nicer chairs, big group desks."

Lady Jaye shrugged, handing each of them a small pamphlet. "Just get through the test, and don't feel bad if you don't make it in. GI Joe is an incredibly exclusive program. There's no shame in not making it in."

None of them got any comfort from that.

Slowly, as two hours ticked by, the bubbles on their test got filled out, one by one. At some point Priest snapped his pencil in two. Every five minutes Kitty would perk up from his place on the floor, look at Weaver's test, groan, and lay back down.

For awhile, Lady Jaye was convinced that the dog was somehow helping Weaver cheat. But even she could see that was ridiculous. It didn't stop the suspicion though.

Jinx finished first, sitting politely until Hammer Head finished, then Priest, and last, Weaver. Lady Jaye collected all of their tests, and dismissed them.

Weaver retreated back to her room, halfheartedly tossing a tennis ball for Kitty until he got bored, and just cuddled up to her.

Priest made his way to the gym, and Snake Eyes saw the nervous Green Beret. He was immediately pulled aside, and given private meditation instruction to ease his nerves.

Hammer Head found his way out to the rec room, distracting himself with a book about James Bond.

Jinx wandered around for a few minutes, before also finding her way to the rec room, taking a sat beside Hammer Head. Until Storm Shadow came in, and called her off to practice her stealth. Hammer Head could have sworn it was more about the arm that he had managed to sling over her shoulder as their conversation had gotten friendlier.

 **Will the four rookies and their dog pass the exam? Will Storm Shadow ever allow Jinx to hang out with Hammer Head? No, probably not.**


	10. Moment Of Truth

At Breakfast, the three of them (and Kitty) all sat glumly around their table, silent, not eating. Except Kitty, who had eaten his food, and Weaver's. The uncertainty of their future hung over them like a thick cloud. Priest was the first to break the silence. "If I don't get in, my grandfather will never stop taunting me."

"Your grandfather is a bitter old man who has to make everyone else miserable because he can't stop shitting himself." Weaver bit out. "Man can't even lift a gun anymore. Fuck him."

"Thanks for your support." Priest mumbled.

Five minutes ticked by before Hammer Head spoke up. "When they hell do we find out?"

"When the General stops being a fucking tease." Weaver snapped.

Kitty whined, sensing Weaver's unease. Weaver groaned, and let herself fall out of her chair, onto the floor. Kitty scrambled over to her, and she hugged him close, mumbling into his fur, "I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed today."

Priest slipped out of his skin, joining in the cuddling of the dog. "I hate this stressful situation and your dog is a god send."

"You should have seen him as a puppy." Weaver mumbled. "He couldn't keep his paws out of his mouth."

"Adorable." Priest mumbled back.

Hammer Head glared at them, "Jesus, you two can't keep your dignity for one more day?"

"Boot camp beat my dignity out of me." Weaver snapped.

"You and I remember boot camp very differently." Hammer Head said, rolling his eyes.

Lady Jaye came over to the table, "Alright, moment of truth folks."

Jinx stood up, walking away from Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, over to their group. Lady Jaye gave her a nod, and addressed the group. "Hawk wants to see you all in his office."

The closer they got to Hawk's office, the tenser it got. The only one who didn't seem fazed was Jinx. Weaver chalked that up to her having a ninja princess career to fall back on.

Before they got halfway there, Priest's arm shot out, grabbing Weaver's arm, "I can't go back."

Everyone stopped, looking at him as his shoulder's started to shake. Hammer Head raised an eyebrow, "You okay, man?"

His grip on Weaver's arm tightened, "I can't go back to… to the army. I can't do it. I've done things… awful things… they said it was okay because… you know, war calls for some bloody times but… I can still remember every face… I wake up after reliving their screams, and I panic because I think I'm covered in blood, but it's just sweat and tears."

Silence became deafening as his grip got even tighter. Kitty let out an uncertain whine, not sure if he should get him off of Weaver, or stay back. He knew a PTSD attack when he saw one. Weaver put a hand on his shoulder, patting him, trying to be comforting. "Hey, deep breaths man. Look, here's what we're going to do. We're going to go in there, we're going to let him tell us what's what, then we'll go from there, ok? Wait like five minutes for your breakdown."

He took a deep breath, nodded, and released her arm, "I'm ok now."

They hadn't even taken three steps when Hammer Head started humming. Five steps later he burst out, "Making my way down town, walking fast, faces pass, and I'm home bound."

"Shut the fuck up Mays."

Hawk sat behind his desk, eyes locking on each of them, one at a time, searching for some sign that they were ready to hear the news.

"Alright, I have to say, this is a first in GI Joe history. Whenever we take on a batch of new comers, at least one of them always washes out. This time, every single one of you passed. Congratulations."

Jinx bowed, and said, "Thank you, sir."

Hammer Head pulled Weaver into a headlock, "Aw, little chair force is running with the real soldiers."

Kitty jumped on him.

Weaver smirked. "I love you, Kitty."

Kitty happily followed Weaver, Priest, and Jinx outside. Hammer Head picked himself up off the floor.

When he went to leave, Hawk held up a hand, and started rummaging through te papers. "Hold on, let me make sure you actually passed."

"Sir?"

"I'm just not sure if a man who picks on the girl with the police dog is smart enough to pass this exam."

 **IN THE REC ROOM**

Tunnel Rat and Road Block put four six packs on the table. Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Cover Girl, Flint, and Beach Head stood around the new Joes. Tunnel Rat spoke up, "Alright kiddies, ya might have gotten through the entrance exam, but tomorrow, initiation starts. And trust me, ya'll need a few good drinks beforehand."

Weaver raised an eyebrow, "The only one of us old enough to drink is Priest. He just turned 21 three months ago."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Storm Shadow sighed, "To young."

Scarlett elbowed him.

Tunnel Rat shrugged, handing her a bottler. "If yer old enough to die fer yer country, yer old enough to drink."

Weaver gave him a look. "Do not make me court martial you."

Hammer Head snorted, "Weaver, if you wanna go drink tea and eat crumpets, go ahead."

Weaver shrugged, walking out, "I guess I will. Better than having to testify against your under aged ass, son of a bitch."

Storm Shadow looked after her, thoughtful for a moment, "She's not _that_ young…"

Scarlett tried to kick his shin, but Storm Shadow jerked away, glaring at her, "What is your problem?"

"You are almost ten years old than her."

Snake eyes nodded, agreeing with Scarlett, signing, "You get a marriage proposal from other clans every few weeks. I have no idea why, you've been a definite no to every single one. All the girls back home you've climbed into bed with are still threatening to murder you for not marrying them. You've slept with more women then I've cared to keep track of."

Storm Shadow rolled his eyes, "You've only slept with Scarlett."

Scarlett's eyes widened, turning to look at Snake Eyes, "I am?"

He nodded, "You're the only one I needed."

Scarlett beamed, kissing the glass of his visor. "Let's got to bed."

Storm Shadow nearly gagged, quickly leaving the room to go find Weaver.


	11. Hook Ups

Storm Shadow found Weaver sitting in the hangar, sprawled out on the wing of a jet. Kitty lay on the ground underneath her, staring up at her, waiting for her to make a movement indicating she was coming down. He couldn't understand how obsessed the dog was with keeping track of Weaver. Didn't the dog ever do anything for himself? Maybe go sniff out a bone? Go for a casual stroll?

"Uh, you need something?" Weaver asked.

Storm Shadow grabbed the edge of the wing, flipping up to sit next to her. "Need is a strong word."

"Ok then." Weaver mumbled.

"Not the talkative type?"

She shrugged, "It's just been a long day."

Storm Shadow nodded, and a comfortable silence settled over them for a moment. Kitty started snoring beneath them, and Weaver visibly relaxed.

"Is it true on your first PT day here, you nearly drowned in the mud?"

"Fucking Hammer Head…"

 **IN THE REC ROOM**

Tunnel Rat hiccupped, then smirked, "First day of my initiation, they tied a tutu around my head and had me suck tequila out of a weird cotton ball."

Hammer Head raised an eyebrow, "Weird, how?"

"It wasn't soft, and it was long. Like a cylinder."

Hammer Head nearly choked on his beer as he started laughing.

Tunnel Rat frowned, "What's so funny?"

He looked up, smirking. "They made you suck tequila out of a tampon."

Tunnel Rat got considerably paler, putting his beer down and bolting towards the bathroom, screaming, "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ROADBLOCK!"

Jinx chuckled, turning to Hammer Head, "What are you going to do if they try to get you to do that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'll man up and accept the free booze. It's not like it's a used tampon. It's just cotton."

"I'd shove it back in their faces." She said calmly.

He chuckled, "You're going to be an interesting one to watch in initiation."

"Why even do initiation?" She asked, "It seems ridiculous."

He shrugged, "It's just another way to prove that you earned something. It's like getting a 100 on a test and a gold sticky star."

She nodded slowly, "I don't need the sticky star."

He smiled, "Well, I'd like to have the sticky star."

"Why?"

"The sticky star is pretty. It's unusual, but in a really appealing way. Not like other stickers. Kind of original." He reached out, brushing a lock of hair over her ear. "And even if I don't get the gold sticky star forever, it's nice to say that I got it at least once."

She leaned in closer to him, smiling. "You're not talking about the gold star anymore, are you?"

"No, I'm not." He admitted

There was the briefest moment, where the two of them were sharing a look of such intensity, it was almost as if no one was around. When Priest cleared his throat, breaking the moment, Hammer Head was reminded very harshly that there were.

And they were all staring at them.

Jinx cleared her throat, awkwardly walking out of the rec room. Hammer Head shot a few glares around the room, clearly pissed off. "If anyone has something to say, you can say it now, or fuck off."

Cover Girl cleared her throat, "Jinx isn't… well, she's the heir to the Arashikage clan; second only to Storm Shadow in terms of who runs the clan. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow have been protecting her since she was a toddler."

"Your point?"

"If you know what's good for your health, you'll only think of her as a friend from now on." Beach Head explained. "You think I'm scary, you don't want to see a pissed off ninja."

Priest cleared his throat, "Well, to be fair, Storm Shadow's been trying to bone Weaver, so I think we're even."

Hammer Head jumped up, eyes wide, "He's trying to what!? Since when!?"

Priest shot him a look, "He stars at Weaver's ass like it's a Christmas ham whenever they're within eyeshot of each other."

Hammer Head slowly sank back down onto the couch, "Oh no… is that why he took off once she left?"

"Yes, dumb ass."

Hammer Head had a look of determination come across his features, "Well. That settles it. I'm going to date his little cousin."

"I'll make sure there are no flowers are at your funeral." Priest offered as a consolation.

"Thank you." Hammer Head shot right up, taking off down the hall.

 **IN THE HANGER**

Weaver raised an eyebrow, "So Baroness and Cobra really… ew…"

Storm Shadow nodded. "You're lucky to only hear about it. When I was in Cobra, I heard them, every weekend while Destro was in the lab, working late."

"Heard them? Was your room close to theirs?" Weaver asked.

Storm Shadow shook his head, "No, I have very exceptional hearing. It's a genetic trait, found only in my family. We call it, the ear that sees."

"So… you're Wolverine?" Weaver asked, "Without the healing factor?"

"If Wolverine can identify a person from thirty feet away based only on their heart beat, then yes, I am Wolverine."

Weaver smirked, leaning in closer to him, "You know, I had the biggest crush on Wolverine when I was a teenager."

Storm Shadow leaned in also, their noses almost touching, "Is that so?"

"Yep. Any chance you can fake a Canadian accent?"

"None."

Her hand slipped over his thigh, "Then just let your sword do the talking."

He moved incredibly fast, his lips on hers, one arm around her waist, the other running through her short brown hair. She let her eyes close, tiling her head to get better access to his lips. She expected him to timidly run his tongue over her lips, as a way of asking for entrance. It's what most of the boys she had been with had done. But he didn't bother, his tongue just slipped right in.

He pulled her closer, nearly onto of his lap, and gently bit her bottom lip. Her back arched, and her hands grabbed his shoulders. She was almost embarrassed about how readily she was responding to him, but in her defense, it had been a long time. She hadn't been intimate with anyone in over a year.

His tongue ran over her teeth, and when he tried to slip past them to get at her tongue, she caught his tongue in between her front teeth, pulled, then released. His groan prompted her to run her tongue over his, as an apology.

It seemed to be the right response, because he pushed her onto her back, her legs wrapped around his waist as he moved from her mouth to her neck, soft kisses and sharp bites dotting a trail that he planned out.

His finger tips slipped underneath the edge of her shirt, brushing against her skin. His lips made their way up to her ear, nibbling on the shell before he whispered, "Just say the word, and we can take this back to my room."

Weaver managed to clear her head of all the pleasure for a moment, swallowing, and then sighing, "I don't move that fast. Not my style."

He nodded, "Alright. May I walk you back to your room?"

Weaver raised an eyebrow, "You're a gentleman?"

He chucked, hopping down from the wing, and offering her a hand. "We raise our boys differently in Japan."

Weaver 'accidently' slipped on the edge of the wing, and Storm Shadow didn't fail to catch her, bridal style. She smirked. "I have a new appreciation for eastern culture."

Hammer Head knocked on the door that he was certain belonged to Jinx's room, idly brushing the lint off of his shirt collar. The door cracked open, Jinx's brown eyes meeting his. She paused, and he grinned, "Hey, Jinx."

She opened her door a bit wider. "Can I help you? I don't think you're supposed to be in the women's barracks."

"I'm not, but I couldn't wait until morning… Do you wanna… do something sometime? I mean, I know there's not a lot to do around here, but I could probably come up with something fun. I heard the rec room has dart games."

She raised an eyebrow, "Are you asking me on a date?"

He paused, then nodded, "Yes. Am I failing?"

She gave him a soft smile. "I would enjoy that, however, I am sure you are aware of the complications that my cousins would bring to the table."

Hammer Head snorted, "Look, I don't care if your cousin, ninja king condescending, kidnaps me and slowly removes all my fingernails. You're cute, funny, really kind, and you seem interesting. I will risk the almighty wrath of the Arashikage to go on a date with you, alright?"

Her head tilted to the left, and her eyes narrowed in confusing. "Really?"

He nodded.

She smiled, "Alright. A date it is."

He beamed, "Great! I'll ask around, see if there's anything-"

She put a finger to his lips, "I can hear my cousin, he's six doors down, walking with your friend, Weaver. If you leave now, he won't catch you. He can already hear you, but I doubt he'll abandon Weaver to run after you. I'd suggest leaving quickly."

Hammer Head paused, and then shook his head slowly, "I think I'll do something different." He leaned against the wall next to Jinx door, smiling politely, "I know this is freaking you out, but I'm not about to run like a bitch boy. I insist on saying good night like a gentleman."

He took her hand and kissed in softly, making eye contact. "Good night, Jinx."

When he pulled away, he saw Weaver, standing there, mouth agape, Kitty on her left and Storm Shadow on her right. The ninja was practically seething with rage. His eyes might as well have been bright red.

Weaver looked back and forth between the two men, "Um… alright, there's clearly some tension here, and all I can say is-" She dropped to the ground, latching herself onto Storm Shadow's legs, "RUN, MAYS, RUN!"

Hammer Head took a deep breath, "Storm Shadow, I'm sure you overhead, I will be taking Jinx out on a date soon. I don't expect you to be ok with it, nor do I care."

Weaver scowled at him, "Dude, I've got him pinned."

Storm Shadow glanced down at her, "You really don't."

Hammer Head continued, "The bottom line is, I'm asking out Jinx, not you. She's a grown woman, not a teenager, I am not her jock prom date, and you are not her over protective father. We can be adults about this."

Weaver let go of Storm Shadow's legs, standing up. "I am never doing that for you again, squid. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to-" She froze, looking at Jinx, "Why are you in my room?"

"I believe we are sharing." She explained.

Weaver pushed the door open further, "But on paper Scarlett shares this room with me, and it's only a two person-"

As if the universe was mocking her, the room had changed drastically. Two bunk beds now occupied the room, and two desks. There was barely room to walk now, let alone throw the ball with Kitty. "Oh god damn it, Hawk."

Hammer Head laughed, "Do you ever get tired of being wrong?"

"Chair force."

Kitty tackled Mays to the ground, licking at his face like it was covered in gravy. "DAMN IT WEAVER!"

The door across the hall from Weaver and Jinx's room flung open, and cover girl stood there in a robe and curlers. "DO YOU MIND? SOME OF US ARE SLEEPING!"

"Sorry." Weaver whispered.

"Not talking to you, sweetie." She assured, and then turned on Storm Shadow, "YOU, YOU GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, AND YOU TOO, NAVY BOY! YOU AREN'T EVEN ALLOWED DOWN HERE, THIS IS A STRICTLY NO DICKS ZONE! NOW LEAVE BEFORE I-" She reached between the folds of her rob, pulling out a switch blade, "ASSIST YOU IN KEEPING THAT RULE!"

One small gesture to their genitals was all Storm Shadow and Hammer Head needed. They quickly spun around, and ran away.

"She's crazy!" Hammer Head hissed.

Storm Shadow grunted. "You should see her rage when Beech Head says something 'insensitive' to her."

Oh, how an angry woman can make two men fast friends.


	12. Orientation

Weaver prided herself on her ability to snap awake and be ready for just about anything. Even before a eighty pound German Shepherd used her as a pillow, she had been a very light sleeper. A safety pin had once dropped off of her nightstand onto her hardwood floor, when she was still in high school, and the small noise had got her attention. She had shot up in bed, in an immediate panic, flashlight pulled out from beneath one pillow, knife pulled out from beneath the other, and ready to fend off what her imagination had already classified as a murdering rapist thief.

She hadn't been able to get back to sleep that night.

So when she heard what was the creaking of Jinx moving (but what her imagination immediately classified as a murdering rapist cobra soldier) she had already shot up in bed, yelled out, "Pass auf!" ( _guard_ ) to get Kitty's attention.

Her hand had shot under her pillow, pulling out a knife, and she faced her foe.

Jinx was hanging upside down from the ceiling, her feet and hands on the wall, propping her up. She raised an eyebrow, looking absurd at the angle she was at, and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Weaver slowly put her knife back underneath her pillow, mumbling, "Platz." ( _down_ ) to Kitty. She ran a hand through her short hair, and sighed. "Why are you on the ceiling?"

Jinx slipped down, landing gracefully on her feet. "I prefer having my morning meditation there."

"On the ceiling?"

"Yes."

"Any particular reason?"

"Meditation is easier when you can only hear the blood rushing through your ears." She explained.

"I see."

 **TWO HOURS LATER:**

Morning PT had been hell, of course. Beach Head always made it that way. Weaver had gotten considerably better now that Kitty was there with her. The only downside for Beach Head is that he couldn't make the dog climb up the ropes.

Priest hadn't noticed the tension between Weaver and Hammer Head until they were forced to sit next to each other. He looked back and forth between the two of them, patiently waiting for one to break.

Hammer Head lost. "So, you and Storm Shadow, huh?"

"You and Jinx, huh?"

Hammer Head glared at Weaver, "Yeah, me and Jinx. Because she's funny, and nice."

"Me and Storm Shadow. Because he's charming and hot."

Hammer Head slammed his fork down, pointing a finger at her. "You, are the biggest hypocrite in the world. I'm a bad kung fu movie? You are a tiny little sliver of a person, with a chipmunk voice, falling in love with a ninja master, getting whisked off into a dangerous life, all instincts telling you to leave him and preserve your own life, but you can't bring yourself to break his heart, and in the end, he kills his arch enemy, and you have babies together."

Priest snorted, "She'd sooner rip out her own uterus than have children."

"Thank you." Weaver said. "Look, enough with the blame game, its initiation today. I have to keep my guard up. I don't wanna be the idiot sucking vodka out of a tampon."

"Bitch, it's free booze. Just accept it."

"Hello." The three of them looked up to see Jinx, holding her tray and smiling. "Mind if I sit with you? If we're going through hazing today, we might as well start off together."

Hammer Head quickly pulled out the chair next to his, "Absolutely, sit right down!"

Weaver rolled her eyes, "As I was saying, I will sick Kitty on their asses before a tampon goes into my mouth, I don't give a fuck, I don't even put those things in my vagina."

Before they could say another word, a box of tampons was thrown onto the table, and around ten men stood around them. Wild Bill was the one who has tossed the box, and he smirked down at the four of them. "Challenge number one of today, kiddies. You're going for a ride in the Sky Strikers. Each of you gets ten minutes. If you can keep your lunch down, you have to suck on the blood cotton."

Road Block walked up to the table, setting a tray covered up with a large silver bowl. He gave them each pitying looks. "Good luck guys."

Wild Bill removed the bowl, revealing four fish sandwiches topped with olives and onions. Weaver felt sick already. "Each one of you is going to scarf one down, and then take your flight."

Hammer Head's hand shot out, grabbing his sandwich and digging in. Weaver's eyes widened, "How the hell are you this enthusiastic?"

He swallowed what was in his mouth, and proclaimed loudly, "I WANT MY GOLD STICKY STAR!"

Priest picked up his sandwich, "This is going to be a bad day."

He bit into it, and nearly choked. "It's fucking dripping in fish oil."

Jinx shrugged, casually biting into hers like it was a bland PB&J.

Weaver could already feel herself dry heaving, just from the smell of them. One quick glance around the cafeteria showed everyone was watching. Everyone in here had already gone through this. Washing out this early into the day was not going to get anyone's respect. Gaining respect was the only reason she had put up with hazing in boot camp and A school. She remembers going through quite a bit to get recognized for K9 unit. She picked up the last sandwich, silently thanking Road Block that hers only have about four olives.

Kitty sat up head on Weaver's thigh, sensing her discomfort. He really didn't like the crowd of men around her, and he wasn't shy about letting them know. His warning growls didn't deter them.

She bit in. It was just as awful as she expected.

Hammer Head was already done, wiping his mouth. Priest was halfway through. Jinx was done. Weaver managed to swallow her first bite, and then tried to get through the rest without tasting it. It didn't work.

As soon as they were done, the men had them out of their seats, walking them towards the hangar. Weaver had to keep one hand on Kitty's head to get him to stay calm, constantly scratching his ear. In the hangar, three Sky Strikers and one Ghost Striker sat, ready to go. Four men who had cornered them in the cafeteria stood closer to the aircraft. Wild Bill was one of them.

He pointed at Hammer Head, "I'll take the squid here, since he's so eager."

Hammer Head took off like a bullet, inside the Sky Striker before Wild Bill was.

Another one of the pilots spoke up, "Alright, you, Air Force."

Weaver's head snapped up, wary. "Yes, Sir?"

"You can call me Slip Stream. And you, are going up in the Ghost Striker. You're already Air Force, so we're going to make it a bit harder for you." When Weaver practically deflated, he clapped her on the shoulder, "Aw, don't be a piss ant. Show these grunts what the air force is made of."

"Intel and nuke codes." Weaver mumbled, climbing into the air craft.

Jinx got taken up by Ghostrider, and Priest by Ace.

Jinx sat calmly in her seat, hands clasped on her lap, eyes closed in concentration.

Hammer Head had both hands in the air, screaming, "WHOOOOOO HOOOO! HUAAAHHH!"

Priest ended up doubled over almost immediately, holding his stomach, mumbling about "fucking crazy ass pilots" over and over again as Ace started doing barrel rolls.

Slipstream hadn't even finished his barrel roll, and Weaver had already dove for her barf bag, and let it go. Slip Stream shook his head in disappointment, and landed the ghost striker. "Jesus kid, represent a little more."

"If I had joined the Air Force because of my amazing ability to withstand flight pressure, I wouldn't be a fucking K9 unit." Weaver growled. "I represent on the ground, god damn it."

She stumbled out of the plan, falling onto her ass almost immediately. Kitty came bounding over to her, trying to get her to stand up. Weaver just allowed herself to lay down, petting Kitty's head. "This is why we don't do pilot shit."

Priest was the next one to crack, almost making it eight minutes. He jumped out of his Sky Striker, wiped his mouth off, and then promptly laid down next to Weaver, using Kitty as a pillow. "I fucking hate pilots."

"Me too."

Hammer Head and Jinx managed to both hold out until ten minutes, managing to avoid the tampons.

Weaver and Priest were both presented with a vodka soaked tampon. Priest took the soaking cloth, and sucked on it, trying to wash out the taste of vomit with vodka. Weaver refused hers, "I'm not the legal drinking age. Don't even fucking dare force feed it to me, I have a dog."

The pilots backed off immediately.


	13. Dreadnocks In The Swamp

Lady Jaye was in the Med Bay. She had been unconscious her first five hours in, and when she woke up, her situation wasn't all that much better. She had a concussion, a broken leg, two fractured ribs, and two bullet wounds in her left arm.

No one took it well.

Scarlett and Cover Girl had made the Med Bay their new home, refusing to leave for nearly anything. The three girls had been friends for a long time, and in situations like this one, it showed. Not even their significant others seemed to be able to draw them out.

No one took it worse than Flint. Not only was the poor man also camped out in the Med Bay, he had been in near hysterics when she had been unconscious. He had been screaming at the medics whenever they tried to talk him into giving her space. Snake Eyes had nearly had to restrain him. Once, he got so loud Kitty had hidden under a table in the rec room, convinced someone was dying.

Things were tense, to say the least.

Once she woke up, the information that she had to share was still grim. On the simple supply mission that Duke had accompanied her on, Cobra had ambushed them.

She had fallen under a pile of rubble, and the troops hadn't bothered looking for her.

But they had taken Duke, and he was still missing. The tracker he always kept on him hadn't been activated. Cobra hadn't sent any word about wanting money or surrender for his life.

The loss of Duke was a gnawing pain to every soldier there. They all knew and respected Duke. On many occasions he had been a trusted friend and advisor to many of them.

Jinx was worried about a search and rescue mission she had overheard Scarlett and Hawk arguing about. She told the others, in a hushed tone, over lunch. "They can't come to an agreement. Scarlett wants to go after him with just Snake Eyes as back up. Hawk isn't convinced."

Hammer Head shrugged, "I get his point. Just two people on a rescue mission? I definitely wouldn't want that if I got kidnapped. Send a proper squad."

Priest frowned, "I don't know, Snake Eyes is different. I think he might be able to do it."

Weaver peeled back the bread on her sandwich, removing the pickles. "Doesn't matter. If Hawk isn't going for it, then something is up. Something Scarlett is refusing to see."

Jinx sighed, "I just wish I knew more. Everyone wishes that they knew more."

Later on, Jinx got her wish. She and Weaver had been in their room, playing with Kitty. Jinx was cautious of the dog, but Kitty seemed to like her. Jinx, much like Snake Eyes, was very easy to get treats out of.

Weaver didn't know where, but Jinx had a stash of candy hidden somewhere. Japanese candy. Kitty was a sucker for it. Especially her mochis. He couldn't get enough of her peanut butter mochis.

That's when Scarlett had knocked on their door. She had entered before either of them had given her permission, Cover Girl following her. Scarlett didn't waste any time, not even letting them ask. "Hawk is letting me pick five people to go get Duke back. Weaver, you and Kitty are one of them."

Weaver stood up, Kitty coming to stand beside her. "When do we leave?"

"In ten hours, meet me in the hangar. Don't be late."

Scarlett left, but Cover Girl remained. She took a deep breath, and locked her eyes with Weaver, "Duke is very important to everyone here. I've read your file, and there isn't nearly enough to go on to get any reading on your skill level. Scarlett is making a mistake."

With that, she turned, leaving their room.

Jinx frowned as Weaver sat back down, stroking Kitty. "That was uncalled for."

Weaver shrugged, "Don't sweat it. By this time tomorrow, she'll be proved wrong. I should probably warm Kitty up for his mission. Wanna help?"

Jinx smiled, loving the idea of doing anything with Kitty. "Of course!"

That's how Jinx found herself standing on the PT course, covered in a bite suit. Weaver gave clear instructions, "Just run as fast as you can. Kitty will go for your arm, and once you're on the ground, just stay still. If you struggle on the ground, he might dislocate your arm."

She nodded, "Are you sure you want me to run as fast as I can? I've been able to outrun dogs since I was nine."

Weaver shrugged, "I guess just run as fast as cobra soldiers tend to run."

Jinx turned around, and took off running. Weaver yawned, stretched her right arm out, and then ever so delicately tapped Kitty's head.

The dog took off like a speeding bullet, barely making any noise as he shredded the ground, eyes locked on Jinx.

Jinx dared to look over her shoulder, and immediately regretted it. Despite Weaver telling her to run at a normal pace, the look in Kitty's eyes made her immediately increase to her top speed. She thought that would leave the dog in the dust, but to her horror Kitty went faster too. Despite how fast she pumped her legs, the dog advanced at a steady pace, until he got within five feet of her. Then he shot up into the air, jaws clamping down on her arm, dragging her to the ground.

She almost forgot Weaver's instruction to stay still, because her first instinct was to kick the dog in the face. As soon as her leg twitched, his grip on her arm tightened, and despite the bite suit, she could feel enough pain to convince herself to not fight back. Weaver jogged over, grinning, and tapped Kitty's head a second time.

The dog immediately released her, and Jinx sat up, ripping the helmet off of herself. "How… I was going as fast as I could!"

Weaver grinned, "You're not the first special case we've had to take down, Jinx."

Jinx nodded slowly, standing up. Weaver pet Kitty's head a little, then looked back up at Jinx. "Ready to go again?"

Hammer Head and Priest watched from the window of the rec room, pitying Jinx. They had both had to stand in as Weaver's bad guy before, and Kitty had enjoyed biting Hammer Head a bit too much.

Hammer Head broke the silence, "So, I heard through the grapevine that Weaver is going on the search mission."

Priest nodded. "She is." He hesitated, not knowing whether or not to continue. "So am I."

Hammer Head bit his tongue, not trusting himself to speak.

Priest sighed, "Look, I know you want to come, but you're job doesn't really relate to this mission. Me and Weaver know how to track."

"Just make sure she doesn't get killed." Hammer Head bit out.

Priest chuckled, "She doesn't need me for that."

 **LATER ON, STORM SHADOW'S ROOM:**

Storm Shadow was reclined on his bed, trying to get in a few hours of sleep before the mission. He heard Jinx's heart beat, walking down the hall, and her lightly knock on his door. He sighed, "It's unlocked."

Jinx opened the door, coming to sit on the edge of his bed. Storm Shadow sat up, grumbling, "Something you needed, Jinx?"

"I'm concerned about Weaver." She admitted.

"Relax, I'm on the mission with her. She won't be harmed."

"No, her dog was able to chase me down at full speed." Jinx explained. "Five times."

He frowned, troubled by the information. "Five times?"

"Yes. When I asked Weaver about it, she said that I wasn't the only 'special case' Kitty had taken down before." She explained. "I don't know what she meant by special case, but-"

"But if the dog could catch you, it might have caught a ninja before." Storm Shadow mumbled. "You were right to come to me with this, it's troubling. I'm going to make a few inquiries about her, and all the classified information in her file. Until then, proceed as if there's nothing wrong."

Jinx nodded, leaving.

Storm Shadow stretched back out on his bed, frowning at his ceiling. A dog that could catch a ninja? That was interesting.


	14. Duke is Down

Before the sun was up, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Priest, Weaver, and Kitty were strapped into their seats. Wild Bill was flying them out in one of the quietest aircraft Weaver had ever ridden in. Wild Bill called it a Falcon Glider.

They all listened closely to Scarlett's instruction. "Our intel shows that Duke's captors were none other than the Dreadnoks. Not only do they have him, but they've already taken him to the swamp."

Priest and Weaver shot each other a look. They knew who the Dreadnoks were, and all about the swamp. A god bit of Joes had gone in there before, and hadn't come out.

"We don't think he's made it to their base yet, which means he could be anywhere." Scarlett explained. "Me and the ninjas are going to head straight for the base, make a diversion. You and Priest will take Kitty, and find Duke."

They nodded. Kitty barked.

Wild Bill managed to find a clearing big enough to hover down. Parachutes were unnecessary. Scarlett tossed Weaver a shirt in a zip lock bag, and just like that, the three of them were gone.

Priest scanned the horizon as Wild Bill left, promising to come back at the agreed extraction time. "I don't get what all the fuss is about. I get that the Dreadnoks are tough in groups, but at the end of the day, they're just a biker gang. As long as they don't all come at us at once, we'll be fine."

"You can stop trying to calm me down." Weaver said, holding the shirt out to Kitty, who thoroughly memorized the scent.

As soon as the shirt was taken away, Kitty stuck his nose to the ground, briskly walking towards the tree line. Priest had seen the dog do this many times, but never quite got used to how fast he managed to do it.

Weaver trotted behind Kitty, giving him space to work, but keeping him in her sight. Priest followed, but tried to focus more on checking for traps and listening for any Dreadnoks.

Kitty leads them through mud, around cliffs, and down towards a ravine. When he got to the edge, he leaned off, sniffed, and then sat down.

Weaver groaned, "Down the fucking ravine? Fucking really?"

Priest took off his backpack, pulling out his paracord and tying one end around a tree. He hooked the other end to his vest. Weaver followed suit, but she had to clip Kitty's vest to hers so she could climb down with Kitty hanging off of the front of her vest. They climbed down the edge of the ravine, slowly, carefully, one inch at a time.

At the bottom, they unhooked themselves, and Kitty put his nose to the ground again. He walked down, further into the ravine. Weaver followed, idly wondering if Dreadnoks were watching from above.

Priest instructed her to follow Kitty, but to stay close to the edge, under a small overhang that might be just big enough to hide them from any prying eyes.

Kitty lead them to the mouth of what seemed to be a small tunnel, waiting patiently for them to catch up. Priest shook his head, "I don't think we should go in."

"Duke is in there." Weaver insisted.

"I know." Priest whispered. "But so are Dreadnoks. I don't think we should go in. I can try to draw them out by making a commotion. I'll lead them off, and you and Kitty slip in."

"What if they don't follow you?" Weaver hissed, "Or if only two or three follow you, but there's a dozen in there?"

"I'd rather take that chance than just rushing in blindly." Priest argued.

Weaver sighed, "Alright, let's do it."

Weaver took Kitty, pulling him behind a rock as Priest started shouting for Duke. "Duke! Duke! Your rescue party is here! Duke?"

Almost instantly, about six Dreadnoks rushed out of the cave. Priest didn't waste any time in running for his life, and each and every one of the Dreadnoks followed him. She waited until they were out of sight, and then followed Kitty into the cave.

She almost slipped on the slimy ground, but managed to keep her footing by keeping one hand on Kitty. The further they went in, the more burned out cigarettes and broken beer bottles she saw. She could barely smell weed under all the cigarette smoke. No wonder all these thugs just rushed out at the first sound of a Joe. They were high as fuck.

Kitty picked his nose off of the ground, and bounded forward, barking his head off while pointing his nose at one particular crate. Weaver stepped in front of him, lightly tapping on the crate, "Duke?"

Something moved inside the crate, and the sound of a boot thumping against the wood was one of the loudest sounds Weaver had heard. She jumped back, looking around wildly for a crowbar, or a pipe, or a saw. Seeing nothing, she groaned, hoping Priest was doing better than her.

 **WITH PRIEST**

Priest panted, falling onto the ground as the last Dreadnok fell. All six of them, scatted around him. Two dead from the blood soaked knife in his hand, one dead from being tossed head first into a rock, one with a broken neck, and two dead by three bullets from his gun.

He let himself lay down, staring up at the cloudy sky. His breathing felt like an earthquake in his chest as he gasped, the heat of the swamp settling over him like a thick blanket.

"Fucking… shit." He mumbled, closing his eyes.

 **WITH WEAVER**

"I'll get you out." Weaver promised, pushing bags and tarps aside to find anything useful. After moving a tarp aside, she found a sledge hammer. She grinned at first, finding triumph in it, but it quickly turned to a look of disgust when she grabbed the handle, and saw that blood was nearly caked onto it.

She had to stop herself from gagging as she lifted it up, and swung it at the edge of the crate. The wood shattered, and there was a muffled grunt from inside. Weaver tore the edge away, and nearly screamed when she saw Duke.

Half of his face was covered in blood, his legs were twisted in an impossible way, and his breathing was so labored Weaver feared that he would faint. She was to afraid of all the blood soaking through his pants to try and pull him out by his legs, so she reached around him, and cut through the ropes that had been tying his wrists together. He slumped forward, mumbling something unintelligible through his gag.

She quickly cut the gag away as well, "Duke, can you walk?"

He groaned, and tried to move his leg, but the shin flopped to the side. Weaver took a deep breath, "Don't worry, we'll get you out."

Her mind drifted to the ravine edge, and knew that there was no way she or Priest could get Duke out without hurting him more.

So, she ran out of the cave, and took a small metal box, no bigger than a cigarette box, out of her bag, and twisted the knob to the right, activating the distress signal. "I sure as hell hope that Wild Bill can land a Sky Striker down here."

 **WITH PRIEST**

An annoying beeping sound woke Priest up. He reached into his back pack, and pulled out the distress signal that they all had. Someone had activated theirs. "Fucking… damn it Weaver."

He stumbled to his feet, and took off towards Weaver.

 **WITH WEAVER**

Dragging Duke out was the most painful thing Weaver had ever done. Ever tiny bump or hole made him groan with pain, curse, or even scream.

She had grabbed him by his underarms, dragging him along the ground behind her as gently as possible, but it didn't seem to help much. Regardless, she managed to get him out into the open area of the ravine, when Priest jogged up. At the sight of Duke, he nearly vomited. "What the hell…"

"They beat him with a sledge hammer." Weaver managed to whisper. Upon sensing her unease, Kitty nuzzled Weaver's side, offering comfort.

Priest chuckled as the Sky Striker came into sight. "Your dog is a god send."

Snake Eyes and Scarlett jumped out of the Sky Striker, helping to load Duke on.

Weaver held Kitty on her lap, burying her face in his fur coat so that no one would see her crying. It didn't seem to help, because Priest rested his hand on her shoulder, "It's over now."

Thanks for reading! Review please!


	15. Preacher

Duke would be calling the med bay home for the next few months. Lifeline had insisted that he was in no condition to answer any questions about what had happened during his captivity. Not for a few days at least.

A hushed murmur had replaced the once lively conversation in the chow hall. Priest was finding it hard to decide if morale was better or worse since they had gotten Duke back. He glanced up to his left, noticing Hammer Head and Jinx were conversing in hushed tones, mumbling things about meeting up after the duty day. It was a playful, happy whispering that stopped on a dime when Jinx glanced across the chow hall. What she saw made her reach up, resting a hand on Hammer Head's arm.

"Weaver has been… silent, lately."

Hammer Head glanced over, seeing Weaver sitting in a booth next to the far wall, stuffing her face with chicken pasta and broccoli. Kitty was sprawled out on the seat across from her, lazily licking his chops clean of his dinner, pork and carrots.

"Don't mind her." Priest advised. "This is just how Weaver is."

Jinx shook her head, "She's normally so happy… hyper even."

"She'll go back to that, she just needs time. It happens a lot after missions." Hammer Head explained. "We all deal with that stress differently. Her method is… well…"

"Alienation?" Priest offered.

"Naw, not that serious." Hammer head shot down.

"Self blame?" Jinx asked.

"No! She just… she needs time to think. Watch, in a few days she'll be bouncing off the walls again. She'll call her mom, and that'll usually help too." Hammer Head picked up his tray, "Just give her space, especially when you two are together in your room, let her be. Otherwise she'll shut herself off more."

He walked off, presumably to go swimming.

Priest nodded, "I, however, require some type of social interaction, and prayer to help me during times of stress. Hammer Head requires a surplus of comedy and a few minutes of emotional support. How do ninja's cope with stress?"

Jinx shrugged, "I train harder. Meditation is a great assistance."

Priest raised an eyebrow, seeing Storm Shadow make his way over to Weaver's booth. "You should stop your cousin before he gets bit."

Jinx stood up to call out to him, but before she could, Kitty let out a short, but very loud, bark. Storm Shadow didn't look phased. Weaver glanced up at him, and forced a smile. "Hello."

He offered a sincere one back. "I noticed you were sitting alone, and I'd like to offer my company."

"No thank you." Weaver said, turning back to her food.

Storm Shadow seemed to go blank, standing there for a few moments. Weaver glanced back up at him, frowning. "You can leave now."

Jinx slowly slid back down into her seat, hissing over to Priest, "I've never been more embarrassed for him."

Priest grinned, "Oh please tell me he's going to persist."

"He's never been turned down before, at least not by a woman."

Storm Shadow cleared his throat. "If my presence is unwelcome-"

Weaver cut him off, "At this moment it is, and I thought I made it pretty clear that it wasn't."

Scarlett and Snake Eyes were watching from several tables away. Snake Eyes was signing rapidly to Scarlett, shoulders shaking with silent laughter as Scarlett whispered, "Oh dear lord this is priceless!"

Storm Shadow turned around, almost as if in a daze, walking away, back to his former seat beside Snake Eyes. "What… why did she say that?"

Scarlett snickered, "Better question is, how does the almighty prince of hearts feel, being rejected?"

"Excuse me?" He snapped.

Snake Eyes signed, "It's been no secret, women have thrown themselves at you since you were a teenager. You had marriage proposals every other week, from every clan in the country, and some outside of it. While you never took any of the marital offers up… you certainly helped yourself to other offers. Watching you get rejected-"

"I was not rejected!" Storm Shadow hissed. "She simply said she didn't want my company at the time… later on, she'll change her mind."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Please do not go through your college fuck boy phase right now."

Snake Eyes excused himself from the table to go cry into his pillow from the laughter.

 **WITH PRIEST:**

He didn't usually understand why he did things like this, especially with people he didn't know, but he had a hunch that it was what God wanted him to do. That's the only thing that gave him the courage to walk into the med bay to speak with Duke.

All in all, he didn't look that bad. Both his legs were in casts, and his left wrist was in a brace. The swelling in his face had gone down nearly all the way, except his left eye. His right eye shot open when Priest pulled up a chair next to him.

"How are you feeling?"

Duke chuckled, "Like I'm flying. These pain meds are amazing."

Priest smiled, "Good to hear. How has your family been coping with the news?"

"I stopped telling my family about stuff like this years ago." Duke explained. "No need to worry them about things that will clear themselves up in time."

Priest leaned back, "So who do you talk to about these things?"

Duke was silent for a moment, and then frowned, "Are you trying to give me therapy?"

Priest shrugged, "I originally went in to be a chaplain."

"Why the change? Chaplain to Green Beret?"

"I felt God wanted me to serve in a different way." He reached into his right cargo pocket, pulling out a small New Testament with an army camo cover. "I carry this with me, every day. It helped me through everything. Every IED, every sleepless night. And I believe with all my heart that the God who had this book written wanted me to come speak to you today. So… what do you want to talk about?"

Duke hesitated, "You… aren't exactly bound by any confidentiality clause-"

"Nothing you tell me leaves this room. I've kept my fair share of secrets."

 **Hey guys, I know it's been like three months since I've updated anything, and the reason for that is I joined the military, and I wasn't allowed internet access until recently. I have free time on weekends, and if I'm not busy with real world stuff, I'll be writing again.**

 **Air Force life wasn't at all what I thought it would be, but better than I ever expected. If anyone has questions about it, let me know. This next week I'm on night shifts so I might actually be able to get a little writing done during the day.**

 **I can also say that the experience of Basic Military Training has been a great inspiration for this story and the direction I want it to go in.**

 **Until next time, Hua!**


	16. Preparations

Priest never liked sitting in the front row in the briefing room. In his mind it was way too far from the exits and way too close to the center of attention. His training had forced him to think of things like that with every room he entered. He always laid down in his bed facing the door in case anyone came in. He always sat off to the side in the cafeteria. Even when he was showering, he never turned his back on the shower curtain.

Green Berets had this drilled into them from day one of training.

Navy Divers were not.

And rather than sit alone, Mays had insisted that Priest sit with him. Up at the front. Dead center of the row. Completely. Vulnerable.

"Dude, why are you so on edge?" Hammer Head whispered.

Priest rolled his eyes. "Just waiting for the briefing to start."

"I don't think it's a normal briefing." Hammer Head mumbled. "Look around. Everyone here has some type of combat job."

"Yeah pretty much… except a few medics." Priest whispered back. "Whatever's going down is gonna be big."

Weaver walked in eventually, taking a seat at the back, near the exit. Kitty by her side. Jinx followed, sliding into a seat next to Hammer Head.

Duke himself stood at the front of the room. Well… sat. In a wheel chair. Flint and Lady Jaye were on either side of him. Lady Jaye, unfortunately, had sustained more injuries than Duke, and was also occupying a wheelchair.

Duke gave a small nod to Weaver, who proceeded to look away and pretend to fix Kitty's collar. Duke chuckled, and looked to Priest, "She always this quiet?"

"No." He answered. "She just doesn't like public recognition."

He nodded, "She's not shaken up, is she? She's fit to fight?"

Priest nodded. "24/7. They make cops tough."

Hammer Head snorted. "Tough enough to stand at a gate for eight hours."

Across the room, they could here Kitty give out a warning bark. When they turned to look back, Weaver was flipping them off.

Flint cleared his throat, giving Duke a pointed look. Duke turned back towards the room. "Thank you all for being on time."

Every side conversation stopped on a dime, eyes snapping to the man who still managed to stand tall while sitting in a wheel chair. "As you all know, we've been hit by Cobra, and hit hard. They hit us on a simple supply run. Lady Jaye and I were both taken hostage, and questioned about this."

He held up a small rock in his hand, and Hammer Head recognized it as the rock he had stolen from the Cobra pipes. The familiar pink shine seemed to actually have a glow to it inside. "We still don't know what the significance of this mineral is, but intelligence gathered by Scarlett and Lady Jaye leads us to believe it has something to do with Cobra generators. By process of elimination, we can say it's likely a new source of energy for Cobra."

He looked at Lady Jaye, who gave a short nod and took over. "We managed to uncover blue prints after several days of hacking and interrogation. They're incomplete, and written in code. While we haven't been able to break the code yet, our mechanics have taken a look at the pictures themselves, and believe this to be a generator of sorts. They estimate it to be about four feet in length, two in width, and two in height. Judging by the size, it's just a prototype."

Duke nodded, "Our greatest weakness here is not knowing anything for certain. We're going into this with an open mind, and dozens of back up plans."

"With that being said," Flint interjected, "The team we've chosen for this mission is very small. Snake Eyes, Priest, Life Line, and Beach Head. The four of you stay behind. Weaver, General Hawk would like to see you in his office. The rest of you are dismissed."

 **AT GENERAL HAWK'S OFFICE:**

Weaver stood at attention outside the door, gave one sharp knock, and then went right back to attention. After about three minutes, she heard the General say, "Come in."

She did clean, timely facing movements all the way to his desk, and her salute cut through the air as she locked her gaze with him. He returned her salute. "General Hawk, Airman Weaver."

They both dropped their salutes. Hawk spoke with a tone that could make the bravest of men humble. "Weaver, do you know who we have as Flight Chief for our military police?"

Sometimes the different job titles and lingo clashed terribly in G. I. Joe

"He worked my first gate shift here with me. He's the only other K9 unit on this base, and his call sign is Law. His dog's name is Order." She answered.

"His retirement is coming up." Hawk explained. "He gave us a list of three people he'd consider for Flight Chief. One of them was your squad leader. Yesterday evening I made my decision. Your squad leader is moving up to Flight Chief. The work you've done for us already speaks for itself."

He stood up, extending his hand, "Congratulations, Airman Weaver. You start today."

Weaver had often felt, in a career field dominated by men, that her handshake would never impress anybody. But a few months of climbing mountains in Afghanistan had hardened them to the point where she wouldn't flinch when a grown man gave her a real handshake. (It was still one of her goals to have a firm enough grip to make a grown man wince though.)

She made her hand as stiff as possible, and squeezed tight enough so that he felt it, but not tight enough to make it seem like she was trying too hard.

"It's an honor, General."

 **AT DINNER:**

Jinx was practically beaming when Weaver sat down at the table with Hammer Head and Priest. Kitty was curled up beneath Weaver's chair, enjoying his meat loaf with onions and bell peppers. The rest of them had something similar but a smaller portion of the meatloaf and sides of mashed potatoes.

Weaver glared at her plate after the first bite of potatoes, nearly refusing to swallow. "Gross."

Jinx shrugged, digging into hers. "I like them. They taste different today."

Hammer Head chuckled, "Weaver's real particular about her potatoes."

Weaver handed her potatoes over to Priest, who dug in happily. "Potatoes aren't supposed to taste sweet. God, it's like he mixed pear juice in or something."

Kitty, finished with his meatloaf, trotted off towards Snake Eyes' table. He poked his nose up over the table, sniffing in a hinting manner at the ninja's meat loaf. Snake Eyes sighed, and tossed him half of the loaf.

Weaver groaned, calling out, "Snake! Please stop over feeding my dog. I promise, he's not hungry. He's just greedy, and he knows he's cute enough to get what he wants."

Snake eyes signed, "I can't help it! I miss my dog."

Scarlett sighed, "We can't keep your wolf at the base!"

While the couple resumed bickering, Priest nudged Weaver.

"I've got the new letter written." He mumbled, pushing an envelope to her across the table.

Without comment, Weaver picked it up, and put it into her right cargo pocket.

"If something happens-"

"I mail it to your mom." Weaver said. "We've done this so many times…"

Priest sighed, "I know. And you have to-"

"Give your brother a super wedgie at your funeral." Weaver finished.

"And punch-"

"Any of your ex's that show up." Weaver gave him a look. "I remember your funeral wish list more often than I remember my own social security number."

"Dude, you've gotta take it easy on the dying stuff." Hammer Head commented. "My will is written down on a sticky note in my duffle bag's front pocket. 'Parents get nothing, kick my little brother in the knee.' Short and simple."

"I told my dad I wanted to be cremated and my ashes put into a biodegradable urn mixed with fertilizer and a tree seed so particulates from my ashes will nourish the tree, and in a sense, I live on." Weaver explained. "He promised to special order one from this company, and that the tree will be either an evergreen, so I might become a Christmas tree one day, or some type of fruit tree, so I can contaminate the bodies of people who eat the fruit."

Everyone was silent.


	17. I Miss The Preacher

_Deep breath. You've worked with them for months. They don't expect you to have turned into some hardened Rambo overnight._

Weaver stood facing the squad she had worked with these past few months, all eleven of them. Kitty sat by her left foot, as always, ears raised on alert. "I'll keep this short. We've all got gates to guard today, and half of us are already bored. As you know, I've been given the position of squad leader. We all know where I fall in the chain of command now."

As usual, most of them were a lot more interested in Kitty than they were with her words. "If anyone falls asleep on post, I'll wake you up… with Kitty's teeth."

The laughter ended when they Kitty bare his teeth and give a low, menacing snarl. "I don't care if you get caught watching movies. Just be awake, and alert. Dismissed."

 **WITH PRIEST:**

The chopper couldn't get close to the target. It was only able to get within a few thousand feet. As in, a few thousand feet up. Priest had jumped like this several times in his career, and after he stopped thinking about the different ways it could kill him, he found it somewhat relaxing. Snake Eyes and Life Line looked over each other's gear, Life Line speaking quietly to himself, as if reading off a list of what he was supposed to be checking. Beach Head leaned over to check Priest's gear, giving the ropes and harness a few rough tugs before nodding. Priest returned the favor.

"Nervous?" Beach Head asked.

"No, sir." Priest said. "Same fight, different target."

 **WITH HAMMER HEAD:**

Mays had a bit of a love hate relationship with swimming. It was the focal point of his career, so he had to be good at it. Like everything in the military, there was a very particular way it had to be done. For their PT test, Navy Divers had to swim a very particular way. The Combat Side Stroke was a complex combination of the breaststroke, sidestroke, and freestyle swimming. In his opinion, it was overly complex for the simple task of swimming, but it certainly weeded out the weak in A school. It was just another way to find the most dedicated to the task.

So even though it made him hate what used to be a relaxing activity for him, he enjoyed watching other people suffer doing it. It was something he needed to practice often. Much like how marathon runners couldn't take more than a week off from running without declining dramatically in skill, neither could swimmers.

There were two gyms on the GI Joe base, only one had a pool. With all the people on base who had swimming as part of their PT test, or those who just swam as a hobby, it was hard to find a time where no one else was there. Hard, but not impossible.

After using one of his days off to continuously check back in at the pool to see which hours were the busiest, he discovered the only time guaranteed to have no one around was anywhere between 0100 and 0400. It gave him roughly three hours to swim. The first hour he would spend swimming for speed and endurance. The second hour was spent trying to hold his breath longer and longer with every try. The third hour was mostly just floating around.

He was in the third hour now, floating on his back at the deep end of the pool. Staring up at the ceiling, letting the seconds tick by until he had to pack up and head for the showers. He usually tried not to think about anything this tie of day. But something just felt wrong. An unease had settled itself between his shoulders the moment he woke up, and it showed no signs of leaving.

"Mays?"

He looked towards the door, seeing Jinx. Instead of her usual red leather, she was dressed in a red one piece swimsuit. It had slits going up the sides, and in… certain areas, it was pulled a little tighter than it needed to be.

Mays switched from floating to clinging to the side of the pool at Jinx slowly walked into the water from the steps. His trunks were getting to tight for this.

 **WITH WEAVER:**

Weaver had long ago accepted the fact that Kitty was a bit of a prick. He knew just what documents to tear up to put Weaver back several days when preparing to return from deployments. He knew which people at their last duty station were allergic to dogs, and had promptly shed around them. He most likely understood every work of the human language, and knew more than anyone else though.

And he definitely knew that this E3 was royally botching his post briefing, if that smirk on his face was any indication.

Weaver had been assigned to Police 3, driving around in a squad car all day. So far she had given three speeding tickets, and one ticket for a seat belt violation. "My secondary duty is to regulate traffic in accordance with… um… with AFI… uh… 31… uh AFI 31-24."

Weaver raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

She could see the hope leave his eyes. "No."

"Thought not. This your first time at this post?"

"Yes."

"Your shift started five hours ago. That's plenty of time to memorize it."

To his credit, he didn't try and make an excuse. He just nodded.

"I'm coming back in two hours." Weaver said firmly. "I want it flawless. No pauses, no stuttering. I want it spit out with confidence."

She leaves then, Kitty still smirking as they got into the car. Weaver's phone rang, and she picked it up, "Hello?"

"Hey, DreamWeaver."

"You said you'd stop calling me that after Boot Camp." Weaver said dryly, snapping her seat belt on as Kitty scrambled into the backseat.

"I do whatever the fuck I want, Chair Force."

Kitty leaned over Weaver's shoulder to bark into the phone. Weaver could practically feel May's flinch. "How does he always know?"

"He's an asshole, but he's an amazing asshole." Weaver explained. "Why call me in the middle of my shift?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then she could barely make out Mays say, "I'm not sure."

Weaver sighed, "I get off in about four hours."

"Theres a coffee shop next to the BX."

"As long as they have either a chocolate mocha, or a caramel macchiato, I'm up for it."

"PEOPLE LIKE YOU RUIN COFFEE!"

"AT LEAST I DON'T PUT SALT IN MY COFFEE, YOU FUCKIN BLOW JOB GIVEN, SKINNED UP KNEED, CUM GUZZLING GUTTER SLUT!" Weaver shouted into her phone. Kitty's head whipped to the side, startled at the sudden noise.

"YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE WEARING UGG BOOTS AND A WHITE SWEATER, YOU TYPICAL WHITE SOCCER MOM!"

"Mays… you went to far that time…"

He sighed, "You're right, that was uncalled for."

 **FOUR HOURS LATER:**

Weaver rolled her shoulders back, happy for the ability to do so without a tactical vest in the way. Kitty trotted alongside her, his vest had also been stowed into the trunk of Weaver's car for the day.

Mays was waiting inside, at a table in the middle of the shop, drink in front of him. Weaver ordered herself a coffee, and two doughnuts. She sat down, the strawberry doughnut going under the table to Kitty to snack on while she kept the chocolate one for herself.

"So whats up with you?"

Mays sighed. "I fucked Jinx."

"What flowers do you want for your funeral?" Weaver asked, almost dismissively.

"The condom broke."

Weaver looked up, locking eyes with Mays. "Like… when did it break?"

"Right before I came."

She leaned back in her seat, "Shit…"

"Tell me about it."

"Is she getting… it taken care of?"

"She said she would. But what if Plan B doesn't work?" Mays asked.

Weaver shrugged, "I guess I can try and trip Storm Shadow, but that'll only buy you about three seconds at best."

Mays groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Why did I ever think you could help me?"

"Look, Priest handles the emotional shit, ok? That's how our friendship has always worked. When we're upset, Priest takes care of it. When someone needs to get motivated, you take care of it. When someone needs to be reminded they'll get arrested if they do what they were thinking about doing, I take care of it."

Mays sighed, "Well Priest needs to get back real damn soon. I don't know how much longer I can take your cheery little talks."


End file.
